Lot 2 | Auction XXI

LOT 2

ISMAIL LATIFF
B. Melaka, 1955

Tioman Tioman..Bay Moon Fantasy, 1994

Signed “Ismail Latiff” on lower right

Acrylic on paper

56 x 76 cm

Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur

RM 6,000 – RM 10,000


There is a reason why fantasy always appeals to human beings. It is an entirely new world so easily accessible through our imaginations. Regrettably, these wonderful places are difficult to put into words, let alone paint. Fortunately though, we are able to see a proper, solid version of it through Ismail Latiff’s paintings. With a brushstroke, he takes us to that faraway place, one that consists of the landscapes you can only dream about. Ismail Latiff brings these dreams to fruition on canvas.

His works are based on nature and solitude, some sort of paradise, as seen in this painting. He once mentioned, “I embarked on a conquest of inner space, texture and colour, bringing the beauty of the natural world indoor, that is transformed onto paper and canvas.”

The bursts of green, blue, red and yellow and the gentleness with which they flow makes it all the more magical and soothing. He manages to make this painting seem like it is saturating with an aura of wonder.

Ismail Latiff is a Melaka-born artist who trained formally in arts at MARA Institute of Technology. His artworks of both the mystical and abstract kind are known locally and internationally. Having started off his career in advertising before switching to fine arts, his philosophy of life and work is “Art is Life and one of the best introduction to art is Nature.”