Francis Ebejer’s artwork as a symbol of unity and catharsis

Francis Ebejer (1925-1993), in his book The Bilingual Writer as Janus (1989), says that the archetype of oneness is found in his drama Is-Sejħa ta’ Sarid (1965) about the search for catharsis and oneness.

More idealistic is Rużann from the story Il-Ħarsa ta’ Rużann (1985) by Ebejer, who assumes the role of a protectress of her family even beyond her death. In fact, the illustration by Francis Ebejer for the front cover of Il-Ħarsa ta’ Rużann in 1984 represents a figure riding upon a horse or calf, which could be a female figure wearing a traditional Maltese għonnella or the figure of death itself wearing a hood.

This duality could refer to the mythical figure of Rużann who triumphs over death through the hereditary features of her descendants proposing the afterlife as a place where ancestors protect their family.

Ta’ Sarid, 1983 by Francis Ebejer

The Janus duality of death and life is also sustained by the presence of a megalithic temple in the background, which represents the roots of humanity.

This composition recalls the engraving by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) titled Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513); however, the artwork by Francis Ebejer is a celebratory interpretation of the passage of time itself sustained by the colourful presence of the megalithic temple. This is supported by the use of wavy lines merging all semi-figurative forms together as one, landscape and figures, recalling automatic surrealism. Ebejer through his lines seems to capture the mythical spirit of his writings rather than the figurative narrative.

Ebejer in his depictions seems to be an artist lost in thought representing harmony in nature. The lines used are representative of vegetation where certain parts of the lines converge to form leaves and flowers, especially present in The Bilingual Writer as Janus front cover illustration titled Ta’ Sarid (1983).

Knight, Death, and the Devil, 1513 by Albrecht Dürer

This artwork title refers to the drama called Is-Sejħa ta’ Sarid where Sarid ponders on catharsis while telling Fernand that he is dying: “Naf aktar milli kont dak iż-żmien. Iżda għalkemm ma nafx kollox, inħossni ħieni u soddisfat, għax fraħt u bkejt. Inħossni mnaddaf. Int għad fadallek x’titgħallem... Għadek ma bkejtx biżżejjed. Ma tnaddaftx minn kull emozzjoni – l-emozzjoni ta’ sogħba ngħidu aħna...”, continuing to explain with “Irid igħaddi iktar żmien minn fuqek sabiex is-sobgħa tiegħek tkun sogħba tassew. U magħha l-katarsis.”

Is-Sejħa ta’ Sarid recalls the poem Iż-Żagħżugħ ta’ Dejjem by Dun Karm Psaila (1871-1961) which encompasses the explanation of catharsis by Sarid, since Dun Karm in his poem, personifies the sea as the epitome of youth since it never ages. However, Dun Karm also fears the strength of the sea, a fear described as “jaqbadni l-biża’, u nibki/ narak taqbad l-iġfien u tilgħab bihom, bla xejn ma taħseb, kiefer!”

This is materialised in Is-Sejħa ta’ Sarid where Fernand visits an old friend named Sarid. Fernand learned from Tessa that her mother, who was his past lover, had died at sea, heartbroken. Fernand is plagued by guilt that his love and abandonment for her mother led to her death, therefore he tried pushing away Tessa, who also loved him.

This led her to escape to sea; however, Fernand followed her and eventually they died together. This story is in parallel with the myth of Aeneas and Dido, Calypso and Odysseus, and Oedipus Rex.

A symbol of Ouroboros

The symbolism in Is-Sejħa ta’ Sarid is also sustained by the description of Ebejer in his Self portrait (2) Francis Ebejer (1982), which states that: “Just as we start dying (are dead?) before we are even born, so I imagine catharsis to occur at the very moment of the act. If history is time, art is more than time.”

This very statement is reminiscent of his illustration Ta’ Sarid representing collapsed columns engulfed in colourful vines, which could represent the villa Fernand inherited from Sarid after he died.

Although the story is tragic, there is beauty in loss, as stated by Tessa’s last words: “Il-baħħ li kien hemm f’qalb ommi issa sa fl-aħħar jimtela bija stess għax int tħobbni”.

This is represented by a small doorway, a rupture in nature, which leads to a horizon separating/uniting sea/land and sky. Although the skyline is calm, it is an ominous tranquillity representing the characters’ doom when compared to the chaotic beauty in nature left behind after their death.

The continuity of nature represented by the line-vines in Ebejer’s drawings, captures the belief of Ebejer that ‘the past is the present is the future; tail in mouth, like the mythical serpent Ouroboros’ echoing his description of the gaze of Ġina in Il-Ħarsa ta’ Rużann: “Il-ħarsa tagħha kienet qisha ġejja mill-bogħod nett.../Tal-bidu nett.../ Daqs dak tal-ġejjieni...”.

Dun Karm also encompasses this belief by the verse in Iż-Żagħżugħ ta’ Dejjem: “fuq wiċċek biss, ja Baħar,/ żagħżugħ ta’ dejjem, jgħaddu s-snin bil-mija,/ bl-eluf u bl-għaxart elef,/ u qatt ma jonqxu l-għelma tax-xjuħija.”

However, while Dun Karm writes about his grief as a warning of appreciation, in Ebejer’s writing, life triumphs over death through the unity of life’s dualities and their memory.