Inspired by the vibrancy of nature, wildflowers and the island of Gozo over the course of 2022, Victoria artist Rachel Galea painted a series of more than 30 contemporary oil paintings currently being exhibited on the sister island. 

In an exhibition Expressions, on show at Il-Ħaġar museum till January 10, these large works are displayed over three floors, in the main museum galleries and seve­ral more intimate spaces.

It’s a varied collection in a satu­rated palette which sings against the fresh white walls beneath golden stone arches. This bringing together of Gozo’s past and present – juxtaposing the island’s geological history, ancient art and earthy antiquities with the natural treasures here-and-now as depicted by Galea – offers an interestingly rounded view of the island.

Galea celebrates the bright sunshine in which the landscape is bathed in her work: with brilliant blues, bold yellows and perfect pinks, visitors will see the saltpans at sunrise as the sky above is striped with amber, for example, while Galea’s many joyful jungle greens as seen blanketing the landscape in the winter and spring, might come as a surprise to those who only the visit the island in the summer.

Galea’s thick loose brush strokes add texture and movement.

Other views include striations of golden rock at Dwejra on a tranquil afternoon, San Blas Bay and the sea beyond and the twinkling setting sun dancing on Mġarr’s waters at twilight.

In each, Galea’s thick loose brush strokes add texture and movement, flooding the pieces with an energy drawn from walks in the countryside and the pleasure she takes from her garden which she can see from the window of her home studio as she paints.

Galea celebrates the bright sunshine in which the landscape is bathed in her work: with brilliant blues, bold yellows and perfect pinks

The exhibition offers a luscious stroll through Gozo’s green landscapes from Victoria to Għasri village and Tal-Fanal lighthouse, or through the lush Lunzjata valley where bougainvillea blooms against ancient stone walls and an old chapel nestles amongst the terraces.

The exhibition offers a luscious stroll through Gozo’s green landscapes

Larger canvases offer the viewer an almost immersive experience: as if it were a doorway, in Il-Ħaġar’s lower room Contrasts of Spring appears to invite you to step right in beneath blossom-heavy boughs, and beyond, into what would surely be a secret garden of botanical delights.

This is where this exhibition really comes into its own, combining Galea’s impressionist vistas with a detailed abstracted exploration that delves right into the detail of the island’s landscape throughout the seasons. 

These expressionist floral compositions clearly convey Galea’s emotions and her lifelong love of the world around her: her dynamic gestural brushstrokes are bold, playful and spontaneous and create free-spirited flowers in which vitality abounds.

Pale roses swirl and a triptych of sunflowers turn their faces to the viewer.

Contrasts of Spring

Although the exhibition is largely a celebration of Gozo, in a handful of works – for example, Falling Flowers, which has a more delicate flavour, and several water garden paintings which bring to mind Monet’s garden – you’ll see a gentle Japanese influence, as Galea draws also on memories of a visit to Japan fondly recollected.

Other pictures like Serendipity are almost kaleidoscopic as anarchic poppy reds, royal purples and occasional flashes of gold leaf scatter across mesmeric paintings as pretty as the landscape itself.

It’s a warm-hearted, energising and inspirational collection, and as anarchic wildflowers run amok epitomising the glory of spring, this is the perfect way to herald in the new year with joy and hope.

Rachel Galea: Expressions runs until January 10. It is accompanied by the latest book in the Il-Ħaġar GEMS series, available at €15. Entrance to Il-Ħaġar museum is free.