Distinguished Artist and Portrait Painter

Edward was born in Valletta to Major Raffaele Caruana Dingli and Martha née Garroni, the second of five siblings. He was educated at the Lyceum where he was taught art by Giuseppe Calleja* (1828-1915). He attended art classes with Giuseppe Cali*. Caruana Dingli sat for his Matriculation exams in 1894 and he then applied for a commission in the Royal Malta Regiment of Militia (R.M.R.M.) and despite the fact that he passed the required examination there were not enough vacancies for him to join. He subsequently worked as a clerk at the superior courts in 1895 but he was soon gazetted to the R.M.R.M. as a second Lieutenant when there was a vacancy. He later transferred to the Royal Malta Artillery (R.M.A.) and was promoted to Lieutenant. He remained in military service for 15 years retiring in 1913, possibly due to health reasons or perhaps to devote more time to painting. On his retirement he toured around Europe studying the Old Masters.

During his army years Caruana Dingli exhibited caricatures in the gallery of the RMA mess and he exhibited at the Esposizione Industriale Maltese in 1897, where he was awarded a bronze medal and an honourable mention. In 1897 he was commissioned to produce fourteen chromolithographs for the book Historical Records of the Maltese Corps of the British Army by Major Chesney.

Caruana Dingli was the driving force behind the Malta Art Amateur Association (M.A.A.A.), active between 1908 and 1939, when regular exhibitions were held and Caruana Dingli’s paintings and photographs were highly praised and he was considered ‘the father of Maltese Amateurs’.

Edward Caruana Dingli enrolled in the British Academy in Rome in 1920 where he remained for a year, living in Piazza di Spagna. He was offered the post of Honorary Secretary of the Academy. He returned to Malta with honour with official academic training and a prestigious title and was then considered a professional artist.  In 1922 he was elected vice-President of the Arts section in the special committee for the British Empire Exhibition. In 1923 he won the first three prizes for a poster to promote Malta at the British Empire Exhibition. He became a member of the Board of Adjudicators for Carnival of 1908, 1925 and 1946. In 1913 he was nominated for the National Committee responsible for the Christ the King monument in Floriana. In 1914 he was appointed to a board to report on St John’s co-Cathedral and in 1929 he became a member of the board of the Royal Opera House and also a committee for the War Memorial in 1935.

In 1929 Caruana Dingli was appointed Supervisor of the Malta Government School of Art and in 1930 he became the Director of the School.

In his portraits Edward Caruana Dingli reached an affinity and sophistication never dared before by other Maltese ritrattisti. He managed to capture the essence of Cali’s romanticism and enliven it with a brighter palette. He caught the freshness of the flesh tones of the artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and even adapted his impressionistic impasto technique to create highlights rendering his works energetic and life like. He prolonged a rich conventional academic tradition dominated by grace and luxury that faded after his demise.

Caruana Dingli married Charlotte née Falzon on 24 April 1900 and they had two sons Brigadier George Caruana Dingli RAOC and accountant Frederick Caruana Dingli.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.