Gianni Vella (9 May 1885 – 3 September 1977) was a Maltese artist. After studying in Rome, he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands, but he also produced some secular works including landscape paintings, cartoons and a stamp design.
Gianni Vella was born in Cospicua on 9 May 1885. He started painting at a young age, producing paintings and other decorations for his hometown's Immaculate Conception feast. He was an apprentice to the Italian artist Attilo Palombi for seven years, and during this time he worked on frescoes in various churches.[1]
Vella was eventually employed by the education department as a drawing master, and he illustrated Albert Laferla's book The Story of Man in Malta. In 1907, after being recommended by Palombi, he went to Rome to study at the British Academy and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. While he was there, he won a number of prizes for his paintings and his work was exhibited in several Italian cities.[1]
Vella returned to Malta in 1912 and opened an art studio in the capital Valletta. He produced many religious paintings and frescoes, and these can be found in many churches and chapels in the Maltese Islands. He also took commissions for private villas and houses. Throughout his career which lasted over five decades, Vella worked in various media, including oils, watercolours and pastels.[1]
In 1921, Vella took part in a stamp design competition, and his entry was one of two designs chosen for the Melita issue of 1922. His design was used for five stamps, while the rest of the set was designed by Edward Caruana Dingli.[2][3] He also produced cartoons for the satirical paper Il-Ħmara, and he designed masks for the 1927 carnival. He was a regular participant in the annual art exhibition held at the Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar. In 1976, he was awarded a gold medal by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce.[1]
Vella married Mary Chretien, and they had three children: Maria, Aldo and Beppe. He died on 3 September 1977 at the age of 92. That same year, a documentary on his life was broadcast on local television. An exhibition of his works was held at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta in 1983.[1]
Worksedit
One of Vella's early works is Villa Borghese sotto Neve, an oil painting which won him a prize while in Rome.[1]
^ abcdefghSchiavone, Michael J. (2009). Dictionary of Maltese Biographies Vol. 2 G–Z. Pietà: Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza. pp. 1594–1595. ISBN9789993291329.
^. British Empire Philately. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017.
^"Malta's 1922 Melita issue: Fine art or poorly done stamps?". Linn's Stamp News. 1 January 2017. from the original on 23 January 2019.
Further readingedit
Attard, Christian (2013). Gianni Vella: The life and works of a twentieth-century Maltese artist. Malta: Midsea Books. ISBN978-99932-7-444-5.
January 01, 1970
gianni, vella, 1885, september, 1977, maltese, artist, after, studying, rome, produced, many, religious, works, which, found, many, churches, maltese, islands, also, produced, some, secular, works, including, landscape, paintings, cartoons, stamp, design, fami. Gianni Vella 9 May 1885 3 September 1977 was a Maltese artist After studying in Rome he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands but he also produced some secular works including landscape paintings cartoons and a stamp design Gianni VellaGianni Vella and family ca 1920Born 1885 05 09 May 9 1885Cospicua Crown Colony of MaltaDiedSeptember 3 1977 1977 09 03 aged 92 Buġibba MaltaNationalityMalteseEducationBritish AcademyAccademia di Belle Arti di RomaOccupationPainterSpouseMary ChretienChildren3 Contents 1 Biography 2 Works 3 References 4 Further readingBiography editGianni Vella was born in Cospicua on 9 May 1885 He started painting at a young age producing paintings and other decorations for his hometown s Immaculate Conception feast He was an apprentice to the Italian artist Attilo Palombi for seven years and during this time he worked on frescoes in various churches 1 Vella was eventually employed by the education department as a drawing master and he illustrated Albert Laferla s book The Story of Man in Malta In 1907 after being recommended by Palombi he went to Rome to study at the British Academy and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma While he was there he won a number of prizes for his paintings and his work was exhibited in several Italian cities 1 Vella returned to Malta in 1912 and opened an art studio in the capital Valletta He produced many religious paintings and frescoes and these can be found in many churches and chapels in the Maltese Islands He also took commissions for private villas and houses Throughout his career which lasted over five decades Vella worked in various media including oils watercolours and pastels 1 nbsp Vella s stamp design for the shilling denominations of the Melita issue In 1921 Vella took part in a stamp design competition and his entry was one of two designs chosen for the Melita issue of 1922 His design was used for five stamps while the rest of the set was designed by Edward Caruana Dingli 2 3 He also produced cartoons for the satirical paper Il Ħmara and he designed masks for the 1927 carnival He was a regular participant in the annual art exhibition held at the Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar In 1976 he was awarded a gold medal by the Malta Society of Arts Manufacturers and Commerce 1 Vella married Mary Chretien and they had three children Maria Aldo and Beppe He died on 3 September 1977 at the age of 92 That same year a documentary on his life was broadcast on local television An exhibition of his works was held at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta in 1983 1 Works editOne of Vella s early works is Villa Borghese sotto Neve an oil painting which won him a prize while in Rome 1 Notable religious works by Vella include the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Discalced Carmelite church in Birkirkara some of the frescoes at the St Publius Parish Church in Floriana and decorations at the vault and apses of the Cathedral of the Assumption Gozo Other churches which contain works by Vella include the churches of St Augustine and St Francis in Valletta the parish churches of Marsa Tarxien Għaxaq Safi Gzira Naxxar Birkirkara Lija Mellieħa Zurrieq Qala Nadur Xagħra Sannat Munxar and San Lawrenz and various other churches and chapels around Malta and Gozo 1 Some of his works can also be found at St Aloysius College in Birkirkara and the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat 1 References edit a b c d e f g h Schiavone Michael J 2009 Dictionary of Maltese Biographies Vol 2 G Z Pieta Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza pp 1594 1595 ISBN 9789993291329 Melita Issue of Malta Stamps 1922 26 British Empire Philately Archived from the original on 16 March 2017 Malta s 1922 Melita issue Fine art or poorly done stamps Linn s Stamp News 1 January 2017 Archived from the original on 23 January 2019 Further reading editAttard Christian 2013 Gianni Vella The life and works of a twentieth century Maltese artist Malta Midsea Books ISBN 978 99932 7 444 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gianni Vella amp oldid 1095505527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
