Antonio Sciortino, aged 30, in his studio in Rome

Antonio Sciortino ( Ħaż-Żebbuġ; 25 January 1879 – 10 August 1947) was a Maltese artist, considered Malta’s foremost

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of the twentieth century. His career unfolded almost entirely in Rome, where he resided from 1900 till 1936.Sandro Debono, ''Antonio Sciortino (1879-1947) - Sculptures and Drawings'' in: Henry Frendo (2016, Ed.), From Prehistory to Modernity - Proceedings of the Central Bank of Malta Symposium, Central Bank of Malta

/ref> Despite his stable residence in Rome, Sciortino maintained strong connections with Malta, where he was commissioned several public monuments, and where its bronzes where later acquired by the Fine Arts Museum. Sciortino's work reflects several artistic movements, including Realism (arts), Realism and

Futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects suc ...

, as well as the influence of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

. He studied and worked in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He developed an original style which drew the admiration of many and brought him commissions in Russia,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and the United States. Sciortino was a director of the

British Academy of Arts in Rome The British Academy of Arts in Rome was an art school established by a group of British artists in Rome in 1821, and put on a more formal basis in 1823. It closed in 1936. History The Academy had its origins in the community of British artists wo ...

(1911–1936), and from 1937 until his death he was a curator in the Malta Museum of Fine Arts.

Biography

Malta - Floriana - Vjal il-Re Dwardu VII - Christ the King Monument 03 ies

From childhood Sciortino showed a tendency towards sculpture,Antonio Sciortino’s Speed is going up for auction
and his aunt Vittorina Sciortino encouraged him to follow this passion. Sciortino enrolled at the Valletta School of Arts, where he studed drawing under the established painter Lazzaro Pisani and modeling and sculpture under Vincenzo Cardona. It was Pisani who encouraged Sciortino to enroll in the School of Art in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

where he studied for two years. The Strickland family helped Sciortino to obtain a government scholarship (via the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) for a course in Rome, where at 22 he went on to continue his studies in art. In Rome, Sciortino studied in the Istituto Reale di Belle Arti where for two years he studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

and monumental architecture. He also attended the evening classes at the British Academy and at the ''Scuola Serale Preparatoria alle Arti Ornamentali'' at the ''Museo Artistico Tecnologico''. After earning a diploma with distinction in 1902, he opened an art studio in via Margutta 33 in the heart of the Roman artistic tradition. Here Sciortino decided to free himself from imitative tradition and develop a personal style. ''Il filosofo'' (1902) is a work of artistic study with which Sciortino established a reputation as an original artist and which drew the attention of many art critics. This sculpture, along with another known as were shown in an exhibition with the name . With the statue ''Studio di Donna'' (1904) Sciortino moved away from the usual representation of the female figure by contemporary French sculptors, towrds an adaptation inspired by Greek art. In the same year Sciortino worked on '' Les Gavroches'', a work which continued to improve his reputation. Depicting three poor children, the bronze sculpture is inspired by the

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', in which Hugo describes the life of three poor street urchins living in the streets of Paris in the time of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

of 1848. This sculpture was brought to Malta in 1907 and is considered to be Sciortino's first masterpiece. The original is preserved at

MUŻA MUŻA is an art museum located at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta, Malta. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts ( mt, Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti). It houses a collect ...

, while a replica is exposed in the

Upper Barrakka Gardens The Upper Barrakka Gardens ( mt, Il-Barrakka ta' Fuq) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of ...

. The mould of the statue is today at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, a gift which the Government of Malta gave to Princess

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

in the name of the Maltese people when she visited the islands in 1951. Sciortino's fame emerged from the Italian capital and spread to other artistic centers in Europe. Antonio Sciortino won several international competitions that made his name known in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

where some of his best works are located. His participation in international exhibitions raised interest in Rome and in the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in London. This success led to his appointment in 1911 as director of the British Academy of Arts in Rome, a position he held for twenty-five years. In 1905 Sciortino won the competition for a monument to Sir

Adrian Dingli Sir Adrian "Adriano" Dingli (8 October 1817 – 25 November 1900) was Chief Justice of Malta. Life He was born in Valletta, the son of Sir Paolo Dingli, a lawyer who became President of the Court of Appeal.Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in the Mall Garden of Floriana. A little while later he was given a commission for a sculpture representing ''Il lavoratore'' (The worker) for the ''Casa del Popolo'' in Rome. In 1909 Sciortino worked on " Irredentism" which was exhibited in Venice. It is an allegorical representation of Italy, completed with the sentence from Dante's ''Inferno'' "''sì com'a Pola, presso del Carnaro / ch'Italia chiude e suoi termini bagna''" (as in

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the I ...

, near Kvarner, which closes Italy and wets its borders). Writing in ''Vita d'Arte'', art critic Ettore Cozzani defined it a "''strana idea in forma non cattiva''" (weird idea in not a bad form). Until the year 1910 Sciortino worked on two more statues, ''Germinando un'idea'' and ''Remorse'', which both reflect the influence of

. During a visit to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, Sciortino worked a bust of Leo Tecktonius, an American composer and pianist. This work impressed Rodin, who asked him to create a model for him and to meet him personally. This meeting initiated the lasting friendship between them. In 1911, Antonio Sciortino participated in an international competition for the monument in memory of emperor

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Fin ...

(1818-1881). His designs and models won the first prize but the prize was not given for a formal reason. However, Tsar

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pol ...

, fascinated by the project, bought the designs willingly. In 1913, Sciortino entered a competition to build a monument to the Ukrainian poet

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...

. The designs were accepted and the sculptor won first place. This monument, made of granite and bronze, is 7.5 meters high and represents the poet in an act of meditation sitting on a tree trunk wearing the Ukrainian national dress. On the pedestal there is a group of figures representing the people of Ukraine. In 1914 Sciortino wanted to join the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

, but on the advice of the ex-governor of Malta, Lord Grenfell, he continued with his work in Rome to start work on a memorial for the first world war. For three whole years Sciortino was mesmerized by the thought, planning and modeling of this vast and imposing monument which was to be known as the ''Temple of the British Empire to the Unknown Hero''. Sciortino realized this work in a 1:200 scale clay model. It is said that the idea of a memorial in honor of the 'Unknown Soldier' is a creation of the Maltese artist. As a memorial of the 24th International Eucharistic Congress held in Malta in 1913, Sciortino was commissioned to complete a monument. This work, entitled "Christ the King", was unveiled in Floriana on 30 December 1917 during a religious ceremony which around 40,000 Maltese attended. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is a bronze figure 3.5 meters high that dominates on a granite pedestal and expresses the majesty and greatness of a king. Malta is represented as a female figure kneeling under the pedestal in an act of submission while asking for a blessing. The figure also recalls the victories over "the enemies of Christ". Originally, Sciortino planned the monument with a figure of Christ only because the main goal was a representation of

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις '' metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of ...

, the concept of the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. For this, the figure of Malta does not look at the face of Christ but instead bows her head in an act of reverence bringing before her eyes the image of the body and blood of Christ. In 1922, Sciortino examined the ''

Isleworth Mona Lisa The ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an early sixteenth-century oil on canvas painting depicting the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'', though with the subject (Lisa del Giocondo) depicted as being a younger age. The painting is thoug ...

'', and wrote a letter expressing his opinion that it "is a very beautiful picture and is in perfect state of preservation and in my opinion is school of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on ...

, also ' Bottega di Leonardo' (Studio of Leonardo)". On commission of the people of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Sciortino had to complete a monument for the Russian writer

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

to be erected in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the Eas ...

. The plaster draft was completed in 1923 but the bronze monument was not realized due to the turmoil in Russia following

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

's death in 1924. Today the plaster cast is in the courtyard of the National Art Museum in Valletta. Between 1924 and 1927 Sciortino completed ''Rhythmii Vitae'', a work considered one of his best in bronze and which was exhibited in the

in London. He worked on a bust of

Carmen Sylva Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise of Wied (29 December 18432 March 1916) was the first queen of Romania as the wife of King Carol I from 15 March 1881 to 27 September 1914. She had been the princess consort of Romania since her marriage to then ...

on a stetina of the Royal family of Romania and created an imposing monument commemorating the proclamation of

as a Republic. At this time he also worked on the bust of Marquess Godi de Godio. On 8 May 1927 another great monument of Sciortino was unveiled in Malta, the Great Siege Monument, located in front of the Auberge d'Alvergne (today's Court of Justice). This monument commemorates the bravery and heroism of the Maltese in the Siege of 1565. The monument is composed of three figures that represent courage, faith and civilization. In 1929 Sciortino's design for an equestrian monument of General Simon Bolivar took second place. Between 1931 and 1936, in preparation for an exhibition by the American Art Commission, Sciortino completed a number of works of different artistic forms and subjects - in all twenty-one pieces of sculpture in plaster, bronze and marble. Among these we find ''Lindbergh on Eagle'', ''Courage of Future Generation'', ''Arab Horses'', ''In the Jungle'', ''Detachment of the Soul from Humanity'', ''Speed'' ', ''Madonna protecting Navigators'', ''Dangerous Sport'', ''Consolation'', ''Late'', ''First Kiss'', ''Laughing'', ''Surprised'', '' Smiling'' and others. These are all jobs that express vitality and enthusiasm. Finally the exhibition could not take place due to the death of the chairman of the commission Frank Pedry, the economic recession that America was going through, and the international political events. In 1936 the British Academy of Arts in Rome had to close due to political conflicts over the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. This caused Sciortino to resign from the position he held within the Academy and to return to Malta where, on 3 May 1937, he was appointed curator and inspector of fine arts at the then Malta Museum. He spent his last years of life committed to saving Malta’s cultural heritage from the ravages of the Second World War. Sciortino's last work was the monument of ''Lord Gerald Strickland'' erected in 1945 in Valletta's

. Upon his death, Sciortino bequeathed his collection of plaster casts and drawings to the nation; they are today held at

. Asked how to say his name, he told ''

The Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current Op ...

'' it was shore-TEA-no. As a cosmopolitan Maltese of British citizenship who at the beginning of the twentieth century lived for almost thirty years in the capital city of Italy, Sciortino is of great interest for Maltese social history; he thought about identity, personality and the Maltese language - this especially from a person in a position of wider perspective and consequently with greater objectivity. He kept in touch with his country, although the exact reasons are unknown. He was offered

Italian citizenship Italian nationality law is the law of Italy governing the acquisition, transmission and loss of Italian citizenship. Like many continental European countries it is largely based on ''jus sanguinis''. It also incorporates many elements that are ...

but chose to keep the British one. How Sciortino thought about Italian fascism -- he lived through the birth of this movement, and how he associated it and thought about the Maltese national movement. Of interest is the loyalty to England; this when compared to many Maltese art students, who in the last years that Sciortino was in Rome were going to study there on scholarships granted by the Italian government - most of them actually felt a great attraction towards the fascism and to Italy. It is of interest if Sciortino had contact with these students who used to meet in the association of the ''Regia Deputazione per la Storia di Malta''. Herbert Ganado - I saw Malta Change, Book III, Chapter XXXI

Works

Notes

# This article is largely based on Claude Busuttil 1997 – most of the facts have been compared and summarized. # Among other works, he also accomplished the mural paintings in St Paul's church in

References

* Busuttil, Claude. (1997). Antonio Sciortino, 1879 - 1947, Europrint, 1997. * Buhagiar, Helene, Antonio Sciortino, Catalogue of an exhibition of Sciortino's works presented to the people of Malta, Valletta 1947. * Cardona, J. The Maltese Sculptor with a world reputation, f'The Sunday Times of Malta, Awissu 17, 1958. * Cox-McCormack, Nancy, Papers 1911-1965, Vol. 2, Memoirs – 1922-1924, location: I-C-5, Microfilm Accession Number: 1235, State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312
Indiċi tal-kontenut
* Debono,Sandro. ''Antonio Sciortino (1879-1947) - Sculptures and Drawings'' in: Henry Frendo (2016, Ed.), From Prehistory to Modernity - Proceedings of the Central Bank of Malta Symposium, Central Bank of Malta

* Cremona, G., Artisti Maltesi a Roma, ''Malta'', 25 Sept 1936. * Fogu, Claudio, "Fascism and Historic Representation: The 1932 Garibaldian Celebrations", ''Journal of Contemporary History'', Vol. 31, No. 2, Special Issue: The Aesthetics of Fascism (Apr., 1996), pp. 317-345, Sage Publications, Ltd., London

* Parkes, Kineton, "Sculpture of today", Vol. II. - Continent of Europe, 1921, Chapman and Hall, London. PP 191-192
Indiċi elettroniku n241-n243Il-ktieb sħiħ bħala fajl PDF
* Emporium, rivista mensile illustrata d'arte, letteratura, scienze e varietà, Gennaio 1914, direzione-amministrazione Istituto italiano d'arti grafiche, Bergamo.

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080621143002/http://www.haz-zebbug.com/antonio_sciortino.php
Sciortino
at www.aboutmalta.com * Three photographs (very low quality) of Sciortino's works. http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/photo_gallery/artssciortino.asp {{DEFAULTSORT:Sciortino, Antonio 1879 births 1947 deaths Modern sculptors People from Żebbuġ 20th-century Maltese sculptors