American novelist Barbara Kingsolver once said that sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws. And one could add that it transcends arbi
Last Tuesday, Maltese artist Michelle Gialanze (also known as Mixa) exhibited a series of paintings to accompany a talk at Dunhill House in London’s Mayfa
Valentine’s day is defined by the colour red which symbolises passion in all its nuances and contexts. The image of an enterprising but almost pestilent winged putto-like Cupid is a staple in pop iconography associated with this feast that celebrates romantic love.
Cupid pierces red tumescent hearts with arrows from his bow, thus inflicting love on his unwitting victims. Classical mythology has provided the narrative and imagery that are part and parcel of February 14, which makes it a day less ordinary for lovers all over the world.
Artists like Jim Dine have explored the pop value of the iconography of the cartoon-ised heart, whose intrinsic shape is quite far removed from that of its real counterpart, pumping blood through our circulatory system. Cy Twombly has dripped the icon into his idiosyncratic calligraphy. The origin of the shape, which goes back centuries, together with its development into this stylised version, is of interest to a country steeped in its own mytho