Vee Gee Bee Art shop in Valletta was the venue for a recent exhibition of paintings and drawings by a group of students from artist Madeleine Gera’s workshop. Nine contributors were involved in the event, trained to follow an academic style that finds its foundation in “the guilds of the early Renaissance”, and (we are told), “where master artists transmitted a system of knowledge and skills to their students”. However justified Gera thinks the comparison might be, there were indeed several artists whose work was especially worthy of comment.

The exhibition was a good overview of the quality being achieved by Madeleine Gera’s school and the kind of style they are aiming to achieve- Peter Farrugia

Benjamin Van Beek’s landscapes (Mansion in Loosdrecht, Landscape with Fence) were an interesting surprise, their impressionistic brushwork freely expressive and not at all rigid. Naive but with clarity, Van Beek’s use of colour is fresh and compelling.

In contrast to these uninhibited pictures, his skill as a portraitist sits squarely in the academic style Gera is trying to foster among her students. A very fine and natural attitude, entirely reminiscent of Gera’s own portrait work. I am reminded of one picture in particular – a young woman with sparkling, dark eyes. He was the only contributor to submit portraits as well as landscapes, and excel in both.

Adrian Scicluna Calleja (Gozitan chapel, Acrylic on canvas) presented a selection of work, as did Nadette Bugeja, Teresa Cordina, BJ Sammut and Donnah Calleja. Paul Farrugia contributed a variety of things – pencil drawings, and smaller canvases in oils (studies of fruit). Sketches all, but demonstrating a certain skill.

Several students’ academic drawings were on display – the profile of a bearded man by Scicluna Calleja was particularly good. Daphne Pia Kelleher’s miniature paintings in acrylics were plenty of fun, particularly the little bunch of crimson poppies.

Of all the pictures there I found myself drawn to Lee Roberts’ stunningly detailed illustrations in watercolour. His pictures picked out intricate lattice designs inspired by the Cathedral of Milan and the Basilica of St Lawrence in Florence.

The colours were exquisitely reproduced to recreate a subtle shimmer of shapes, tiles and dove-tailing stone. Statuary picked out against patterns in brick and ceramic, sweeping perspectives set carefully and precisely. A feast for the eyes; I hope to see more from this artist.

The pricing was interesting in its own right, and was, by and large, a little fantastic. It seems to be a local development that anything and everything exhibited in Maltese galleries must be extravagantly overpriced. Certainly, a picture is only worth as much as an admirer is willing to pay for it – however, the materials used and the time taken by an artist should remain honest benchmarks for value.

It’s unfortunate that this should be mentioned at all, but the trend needs to be nipped in the bud.

The exhibition was, all in all, a good overview of the quality being achieved by Madeleine Gera’s school. It’s all about a solid education in the basics that eventually leads to a confidently individual style. While the Maltese art scene is saturated with abstract expressionism and opportunistic pluralism, it is reassuring to see a group building on a traditional, naturalistic ethos.

The ways in which certain students have used this foundation (as a springboard for alternative approaches) only serves to underscore the importance of being thoroughly acquainted with ‘the way things should be done’ before going it alone. It sets a standard that makes future experimentation all the more valuable for having been nourished by sound principles, hand-in-hand with an imaginative curiosity.