Malta

Three Palaces Festival

November 28, 2021 By Hannah Raisner, FSU '25

“The Three Palaces Festival, taking place between November 8 and 12, is online for a second time because coronavirus restrictions remain in place,” says artistic director Michelle Castelletti, a singer, composer and conductor known for her interdisciplinary approach to the arts.

Speaking about the theme of this year’s festival, Castelletti highlights that 2021 is the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, and the 450th anniversary of Caravaggio’s birth.

Both have ties to Malta, with Caravaggio’s painting the Beheading of St John the Baptist commissioned for the Co-Cathedral of St John while Dante mentioned Malta in La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy).

“Although it’s true that we aren’t certain he meant this island rather than a place in Italy,” she continues. “We were keen to celebrate both these artistic geniuses.” –Esther Lafferty, Times of Malta, November 7, 2021

Josef Kalleya and Dante, Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci (2021)

November 19, 2021 By Sephora Affa, FSU '24

“[. . .] a book that investigates Maltese 20th-century artist Josef Kalleya’s preoccupation with Dante’s masterpiece. Kalleya’s concepts of Apokatastasis referred continuously to the Italian masterpiece, as demonstrated by his numerous drawings, the majority of which were produced between the 1960s and the 1980s. These are reproduced and feature eloquently in this publication.

[. . .]

“According to the author, Kalleya’s work do not reflect the artist’s empirical visual interpretation of Dante’s verses: ‘Josef Kalleya’s works are, thus, not reflecting Dante’s, but exploiting and appropriating Dante, his alter ego. Kalleya makes us see this whole process of salvation not through the distanced eyes of a divinely protected pilgrim, but through the tormented soul of a soul in torment, a tormented saint with a soul full of doubt.'” [. . .] —Times of Malta, July 18, 2021

The 9 Circles of Hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy based in Malta

July 22, 2019 By Gabriel Siwady '19

“A lot of people are familiar with Dante’s Divine Comedy. A great masterpiece written by a guy who was either really creative or was really high.

“The Divine Comedy tells the story of Dante as he travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven in order to find both God and his dead girlfriend Beatrice.

“Anyway, this guy stumbles upon the deceased poet Virgil who was kind of just chilling about. These two walk around the woods for some time until they come upon the gates of hell, which state ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’ which should totally be Tigne Point’s car park’s slogan, but whatever.

“Here are the nine circles of hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy reimagined in Malta.” […] –ChiaraM, Lovin Malta, August 10, 2018

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