Debbie’s first day at school
Debbie, always a keen swimmer, with her elder brother Gordon
Debbie with her father dressed as Father Christmas
XXIII - 4
Edward Caruana Dingli was also a highly skilled watercolourist as his genre and folklore scenes attest. These have become iconic images of an idealized Malta of yesteryear where people were apparently always well fed, peasants posed picturesquely, and the sun never ceased to shine on this happy Mediterranean island. Debbie’s grandfather, Robert Caruana Dingli chose a different path in art. His artistic oeuvre is still underappreciated, calling out for a major exhibition. Notoriously at logger heads with his brother Edward, it is no wonder that their art went off in different directions. Robert did landscape and large commissions, however one of the areas in which he was truly outstanding was in his cartoons and sketches. His wicked wit and acute powers of observation were easily matched by his strong drawings, lampooning characters or situations. In Debbie’s words: 'Robert was a prolific painter, and painted both landscapes and figures. He also made a name for himself as an engraver and illustrator. Giuseppe Cali was his art mentor in Malta. He then furthered his studies in London. For a while he worked with ‘Punch’ and ‘The Tatler’. Robert and his brother Edward were both professors at the Art School of Malta and among their students were many well-known artists including Anton Inglott, William Apap, George Preca, Emvin Cremona, Esprit Barthet and Antoine Camilleri. Robert was commissioned to paint various posters, both in Malta and England, one well-known one being for PEARS soap. In 1924 he won the Silver Medal at the British Empire Exhibition.'2
Other members of the family also painted, and so Debbie grew up surrounded by stories of family artists. Her grandfather Robert’s paintings filled the walls at home. Various family members actively sketched or painted around her (her own father sketched very well and was artistic and her uncle George was a particularly strong influence in terms of learning to make art) and of course, she bore a surname which is synonymous with art. Various school books were illustrated by her grandfather, including ‘Outlines of Maltese History’ and ‘Ġabra ta’ Ward’. Debbie’s earliest memory of art is an oil painting by Robert Caruana Dingli that always raised a smile. Hung above the WC in the spare bathroom at her childhood home, it depicted a priest wrinkling his nose in disgust. As a young child growing up and becoming more aware of the heavy artistic legacy that she would bear, she was in awe of Edward’s portraits and Robert’s cartoons and illustrations but with time she would internalize their works, absorb lessons from their art, but ultimately shake off the burden of having to match up. Debbie recalls that as a child she drew and cut out paper figures, giving them individual characters, playing with them instead of dolls. This same tendency would re-emerge decades later in her large oil cartoons. From a young age she was already irrevocably drawn to art and would tag along with her elder brother, Gordon, when he was sent to art lessons. Gordon later became a surgeon, Debbie an artist. Debbie started formal art tuition at the Convent of The Sacred Heart in St Julian’s under Margaret Chircop. At the time the curriculum included other forms of art like batikmaking, printing and the use of other media, but Debbie just wanted to draw and paint. 2 D. Caruana Dingli, The Malta Stamp Official Bulletin of the Philatelic Bureau, Europa 2003, Maltapost. See also Mario J. Caruana-Dingli, Caruana-Dingli Artists, Progress Press, 1989