LOT 3
ISMAIL LATIFF
(B. Melaka, 1955)
Fantasi Malam Merah, 1997
Signed “Ismail Latiff” on lower middle
Acrylic on museum board
50.5 x 40.5 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 5,900
This piece is busy with colours and movement, but it is no less splendid than Ismail Latiff’s other spectacular pieces. The soft lavender hues plays quite a role in this piece; making up the atmosphere and creating the mood of the night, and even Ismail Latiff’s omnipresent circle of perfection and balance takes the illusion of the moon shining brightly, illuminating everything in its path. It stays true to the title, which states that this piece is indeed a fantastical night.
The colours shift, turn and twist as if blown by a strong gust of the night wind, sweeping through the entire canvas. Amid the chaos and flutter of colourful wind however, lies the circle of balance, one that the artist explained was an embodiment of being one and whole with the universe. The NHB of Singapore has two pieces in their collection by Ismail Latiff, namely ‘Festival of Inner Jungle I’ and ‘Puncak Pengkalan Serumbi’.