The restoration of 20 original paintings by prominent Maltese artist Emvin Cremona at the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary in Gozo is proceeding at a steady pace, and the project is targeted for completion in 2008.

This was announced by Ta’ Pinu Rector Fr Michael Galea during a recent visit to the Gozo sanctuary by Roderick Chalmers, Bank of Valletta chairman, who presented Fr Galea with the first sponsorship cheque. Bank of Valletta are supporting this project through a total sponsorship of Lm10,000.

The restoration of these paintings, on which the mosaics that now adorn the sanctuary were subsequently commissioned, has been entrusted in the able hands of restorer Godwin Cutajar from Fontana. The project was commenced in October last year, and to date, six paintings have been restored, namely The Nativity, The Adoration by the Magi, The Wedding at Cana, Mary Meeting Jesus As He Carries The Cross, Mary and John Beneath The Cross and The Assumption of our Lady.

During the visit, Mr Chalmers said: “The preservation of Malta’s artistic and cultural heritage is one of the main objectives of Bank of Valletta’s Community Programme.” BOV’s Chief Executive Officer, Tonio Depasquale, who announced that BOV had agreed to finance this important restoration project, said: “We acknowledge that this is not only an important project for the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, but we also hope that it will have significant impact on Gozo’s cultural legacy and the country’s artistic heritage. Emvin Cremona was one of Malta’s most respected artists and, as a pioneer of modern art in Malta, his artistic contribution to the embellishment of this sanctuary gains further significance.”

During the visit, Mr Cutajar also explained how the works, completed by Cremona between 1954 and 1962, were hung in the sanctuary until they were sent to Italy for the mosaics to be produced. They were subsequently stored in a closet in the chapel and eventually forgotten. “These paintings got wet and remained damp for a long time, so the canvas had lost most of its elasticity resulting in severe paint loss. In fact, of the 20 paintings, 18 had been rolled up, and each of these is now being stretched onto a new stretcher according to the tradition of painting on canvas. The other two paintings had already been stretched and hung, but presently they have some paint losses and are now awaiting restoration.”

Mr Cutajar described how three of the paintings are in a particularly bad state of conservation, and need treatment to strengthen their structure. “This will entail a careful and meticulous exercise whereby the paint layers and canvas will have to be well consolidated and bound together. Successively, the paintings will be cleared of dust and other extraneous material deposited on them with time. Where possible, paint losses will be reintegrated so the painting will look more unified. Throughout the whole restoration process, treatments and materials used for conservation and restoration are kept compatible with the original painting constituent materials,” added Mr Cutajar.

“The three paintings which are in a very bad state offer challenging conservation and aesthetic problems, since their exposure to humidity has led to a severe deterioration in quality. It is planned that once the restoration process is completed, these original Emvin Cremona paintings will be displayed in the sacristy of the sanctuary, to be enjoyed by all the visitors to the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary. This is one of the main features that make this project so interesting,” concluded Mr Cutajar.

During Bank of Valletta’s visit to Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, Mr Chalmers was accompanied by Tonio Depasquale, Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Valletta, Charles Borg, Executive Head in the Office of the CEO and Jack Thewma, Manager of the Bank’s Branch in Victoria, Gozo.