A Maltese engineer and a Danish architect have come together to set up an exhibition inspired by the Mediterranean terrain, light and mood.

Momentum by Rune Bo Jakobsen

Ġebla – Paintings from the Rock features works by Andrew Borg and Rune Bo Jakobsen and forms part of the arts programme of the award-winning organisation Allura – Malta Open Art Studios.

“Through our paintings we focus on the dramatic effects of light on the Maltese islands; we both use strong brushstrokes yet with our own personalities,” said Mr Jakobsen, whose oeuvre includes abstract paintings and sculptures, inspired by living on ‘the Rock’ or ‘Ġebla’ for 16 years.

“Through my paintings, I express the colours hidden within the shadows and portray the emotions embedded within a space,” he remarked.

The River by Andrew Borg

Examples of his works include Backlit, which depicts Fort St Angelo as seen from the quayside of the Grand Harbour; and Oratory Street, which “embraces a colourful cascade of light” within this street space in Cospicua.

As regards his sculptures, he uses various materials: there’s the limestone Citadel Rock, the concrete Popcorn, the bronze Embryonic Horse and the Gozo Flower, which is made of brass netting, a material used locally when sifting gunpowder for fireworks.

Mr Jakobsen believes his creations complement those of Mr Borg, who describes his art as “a minimalistic depiction of an expression through a fusion of impressionism and abstraction”. 

Autumn Skies by Mr Borg

“My oil paintings are deceptively simple looking. The main exercise is to absorb the atmosphere, in case of plein air works, combine it with an internal expression and execute on canvas,” the artist said.

Being an engineer, Mr Borg uses mathematical principles for his creations.

“Mathematics is possibly one of the more truthful subjects, much like what ‘proper’ art is for me. It should be inherently elegant, the simpler the mathematical expression, the more elegant,” he said. 

“I subconsciously use forms, shapes and lines, which, to my eye, are mathematically elegant. I find it an interesting base for an emotional expression on canvas.”

I subconsciously use forms, shapes and lines, which, to my eye, are mathematically elegant

This ‘elegance’ may be evident in his artworks on display, including Cefalu; Għallis Tower, The River, Kunċizzjoni and Rdum il-Qammieh.

Maltese stone is given prominence in the exhibition.

Mr Borg (left) with Mr Jakobsen and Laura Swale, the brains behind Allura - Malta Open Art Studios.

“It definitely features in most of the paintings,” said Mr Borg. “It may be in the form of a cliff face, a seaside peninsula, a foreshore and even a minimalistic sliver of limestone village expression, as in Autumn Skies.”

[attach id="691123" size="medium" align="right"]Citadel Rock by Mr Jakobsen[/attach]

For him, limestone represents the “character” of the Maltese landscape. He is fascinated by its “texture, the quality of light that falls on it, its bareness, its austerity and its permanence”.

Mr Jakobsen is equally inspired by the “golden glow” limestone creates in the townscape and the many colours that emerge in the shadows.

“When the strong Mediterranean sunlight hits a façade directly and is reflected on the limestone façade on the opposite side of the road, the street space glows and a variety of colours appears in the shadows. This is the essence of what I capture in my streetscape paintings. Globigerina limestone is also a soft material to sculpt,” he noted.

[attach id="691121" size="medium" align="right"]Autumn Skies by Mr Borg[/attach]

The exhibition is open between 11am to 7pm at 37-38, Old Treasury Street, Valletta, until Sunday. It is supported by Mark Weingard of Iniala, Campari and Grant Thornton. 

For more information, visit www.allura.com.mt.

The exhibition Ġebla­ – Paintings from the Rock is open at a space in Old Treasury Street, Valletta.

Citadel Rock by Mr Jakobsen. Right:  Mr Jakobsen’s bronze work Embryonic Horse.