George Micalef’s Café Terrace at Night, has been selected as the main image of the HCR website, fully reflecting its renewed “identity”. The sketch, features a different approach to the emblematic work of the Dutch painter Vincent Willem van Gogh, depicting the terrace of a Cafe, which could be anywhere in the world, at any time. A Cafe for artists, embracing all social classes, political parties, colors, beliefs and perceptions…
After all, Historic Cafes are loci of interaction between iconic and young artists, sites of inspiration and creation as well as places promoting the exchange of varied views and styles. Here, Micalef “converses” with Vincent Willem van Gogh, and using his own unique perspective creates a new, fresh and distinctive work, which incorporates his personal perception, while embracing the unmistakable aesthetic of a timeless and iconic masterpiece. Inspired by culture and the tangible and intangible heritage created through the Cafes, Micalef’s work is an eloquent illustration of the importance of preserving and defending Historic Cafes internationally.
This is what George Micalef shared about his collaboration with HCR: “Cafes have always served as a refuge for artists. They provide inspiration and spiritual – though not just spiritual– food, while enhancing communication and the exchange of ideas. I can imagine the freedom an artist of past centuries felt in European Cafes: coffee, alcohol, food and endless conversations, a heaven of osmosis, and a springboard for creation indeed. Vincent van Gogh’s “Café Terrace at Night” is a prime example of the creative inspiration artists would derive from Cafes, thus heralding Cafes as unmistakable sources of inspiration. I personally love Historic Cafes. They connect the past to the present, passing the baton to the future. For Cafes are a means through which visitors feel the pulse of the cities vibrate. There they become acquainted with different cultures and civilizations and learn to respect diversity. I am very happy to collaborate with HCR, and to see my work expressing the “identity” of the Historic Cafes Route new website. Through my work, I feel connected to a creative Cultural Organization whose actions and initiatives I fully support. Moreover, I firmly believe such collaboration will be long and successful”
A few words about the artist
George Micalef was born in December 1985, on the Greek island of Corfu. His ancestry stems from Gozo, Malta. He grew up next to the disused “Cannabis, Linen and Jute” factory in Garitsa. From a very young age he became involved in all forms of “good” and “bad” art. Since 2010, Micalef started painting intensively and soon contacted the Corfu Figurative Art Association which welcomed him warmly.
He worked as a television technician, hotel clerk, coffee maker, delivery man and surveyor’s assistant until he was 28 years old, when due to health reasons and with his wife’s encouragement he decided to dedicate himself exclusively to art. In the summer of 2014 he settled in Athens and since then he has been painting and creating continually. To date, he has taken part in several group exhibitions and has held 6 solo exhibitions in Corfu, Spetses, Athens and Patras. Since 2017 he has been working as a political cartoonist.
