The most distinct, elegant and fluid
sculptural pieces by Joseph Casha are those executed in wood, then painetd
and gilded. I fondly refer to a particular piece in this genre as "beauty
and the beast". It is dynamic with the force within and has an existence
in self. It is so articulate that it is quite suggestive.
The smoothly-carved wood is partly
covered in gesso and gilded, while another interlocking shape is painted
black. It is a direct reference to the dichotomy in each and every
individual.
"Good" and "evil" are the two facets of
the same reality which is man. It is the polarity in man of balanced
forces: the attraction and repulsion of forces. The result is serenity,
tranquillity, balance and peace - perfect equilibrium.
"My aim in art is to produce painting
and sculpture that not only please the eye and adorn their surroundings
but also serve as a source of spiritual peace and relaxation." This
statement by the artist confirms the vital essence behind "beauty and the
beast" or Black-Gold Integration (1991).
Conception One (1972) in olive
wood is also partly gilded in contrast to the rich wood grain. The end
result is teamwork between Joseph Casha the sculptor with concepts and
Horace Farrugia of Mdina, a gilder of excellence.
In 33 years as a sculptor Joseph Casha
has experimented and exploited a variety of media that include wood,
stone, Mdina Glass mounted in stone, resin, gesso, terracotta, ceramics,
metal, cement and concrete.
Yet his most prestigious commission to
date is the five bas reliefs in Malta limestone (franka)
currently decorating the Mid-Med Bank branch premises at Msida. These were
carved for the former Barclays Bank in 1972.
Of his public works these bas
reliefs are most respresentative. They are smooth, elegant, noble and
fluid forms inspired by Henry Moores oeuvre and by his followers
Etienne Hajdu, a Hungarian and Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese.
This fusion of diverse elements in
Josephs art has pertinently been referred to by an art critic in
Sculpture International, a quarterly art magazine. His reflection
is quite apt: "Cashas ability lies in marrying the Latin and British
influences without the fear of divorce."
Joseph has persistently tried to weave
and fuse geometry with natural forms. His preoccupation with
anthropomorphic and biomorphic shapes and forms and their identification
to geometric formality has been the basis of his dialectic since he
returned from his studies abroade in 1965.
These studies brought him close to
European movements in art such as Supermatism and Constructivism.
Annunciation and Birds, exhibited in 1965 at the Agustinian
Gallery in Romes Piazza del Popolo in an international students
exhibition, are good examples of Josephs endeavours in this direction.
Joseph Casha was born in July 1939. His
family hailed from Cottonera area and sought refuge during the war at
Rabat. At the age of 18 he started his art studies under Samuel Bugeja, a
sculptor of repute, and between 1959 and 1961 he followed a course in
modelling unde George Borg at the local School of Art.
He then won a scholarship to study
sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome (1961-64) under Michele
Guerresi and Venanzo Croccetti. Finally he attended a post-diploma course
for teachers of art at Brighton College of Arts and Crafts (1964-65) in
U.K.
Since September 1995 Joseph has
performed the duties of Head of the local School of Art after teaching
there for 27 years. He intends to change the evening course at the School
of Art to a day course and raise the standard of the school to accademia.
He is also the Asssitant Head of Guze Galea Secondary School at Qormi, and
has served as president of the local Bonsai Culture Group of which he was
co-founder.
Josephs main public monuments besides
the bas reliefs at the Mid-Med Bank in Msida are found in Attard,
where he lives. In June 1991 a monument in front of the former St
Catherine Hospital was inaugurated by the Apostolic Nuncio to commemorate
the visit of Pope John Paul II.
In 1996 Joseph designed and produced a
tabernacle in resin and metal for a small chapel dedicated to the Blessed
Sacrament and situated next to Attard parish church. The austerity of this
chapel, improvised from an old arched, simple hall, contrasts with the
decorative quality of Josephs invention. The atmosphere is sacral and
contemplative. For the Macedonia Restaurant at St Pauls Bay he produced
the figure of , a 10-ft bas relief in resin.
Lined in the basement of his house at
Attard lie the main items of his large collection, leading examples of his
work produced over three decades. I still remember Josephs studio in Riebu
Well Street, Rabat. Situated at the back of his house it led to a verandah
with a panoramic view of Mtarfa valley dominated by the old Railway
Bridge, a feat of British engineering, and Mosta dome, a bulbous form of
great dynamic beauty.
The scene then was tranquil and serene,
with goats grazing peacefully in the fields and the occasional sad howl of
a chained watchdog. In winter, a silver ribbon of stream gurgled its way
through rank grass and disappeared under the bridge. Josephs aim to evoke
spiritual peace and relaxation in his creations is not alien to the
atmosphere of this valley, to the untainted message of nature or to the
ethos of Bonsai.