LOT 22
RAFIEE GHANI
B. Kedah, 1962
The Wait
Oil on canvas
122 x 122 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Signed and titled “ Rafiee Ghani, The Wait” on upper edge of painting
RM 8,000 – 15,000
A master colourist and one of Malaysia’s celebrated contemporary painters, Rafiee Ghani has built a distinguished career around the emotionalpower of colour, composition, and memory. His works often transform everyday objects and intimate domestic settings into poetic meditations on human experience, employing richly layered surfaces and luminous palettes that have become his artistic signature.
In The Wait, Rafiee distils an ordinary scene into a profound psychological landscape. A solitary blue chair and table, crowned by a vase of flowers, occupy a vast expanse of golden ochre beneath an immense field of crimson red. The sparse arrangement evokes a sense of anticipation and quiet contemplation, while the absence of a human figure heightens the emotional resonance of the work. The viewer is invited to imagine the unseen presence that has just departed or has yet to arrive. Executed with confidence and lyrical restraint, The Wait exemplifies Rafiee Ghani’s enduring fascination with colour as an emotional language. The painting stands as a compelling example of the artist’s mature practice, where simplicity of subject matter yields remarkable psychological and visual richness.