In Joe Buhagiar’s Book “The Iconography Of The Maltese Islands”, Giorgio Preca (1909-1984) is the last artist to be mentioned, ending an era and ushering in a new one. The painting on the front cover of this magazine is by Giorgio Preca, titled “War Ration”. It was painted in 1944 when to him and indeed to the whole Western World this meagre ration is what civilization had reduced itself to. The world suffers from terrible mood swings, if Preca had to paint today, maybe he would draw a mobile phone, a laptop or a hamburger, Andy Warhol style.

We are on an upswing, for now we build villas with swimming pools and not dig air raid shelters, we restore and preserve old buildings and turn them into fine residences and not bomb them out of existence.

Dieting is as fashion and not a ration and Dire Straits are just a good band.

F.P. Spiteri Paris (Perry)