
LOT 44
TAJUDDIN ISMAIL, DATO’
(B. N. Sembilan, 1949)
Homage to Chillida III, 2015
Signed and dated “Taj 6/15” on lower right
Signed, titled and dated on verso
Acrylic on canvas
152 x 152 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 30,000 – RM 35,000
Eduardo Chillida Juantegui was a Spanish Basque sculptor famed for his monumental abstract works. His works, although massive and monumental, suggest a lot of movement and tension. Most of his works involve pillars with arms that reach out but do not touch, rough-lined sculptures and zigzags (as seen in this painting). His combination of sculptural form and metaphysical significance is integrated with architectural and environmental space to produce distinct urban spaces, and a similar concept is what Tajuddin Ismail has been following as an artist.
“My whole Work is a journey of discovery in Space. Space is the liveliest of all, the one that surrounds us. …I do not believe so much in experience. I think it is conservative. I believe in perception, which is something else. It is riskier and more progressive. There is something that still wants to progress and grow. Also, this is what I think makes you perceive, and perceiving directly acts upon the present, but with one foot firmly planted in the future. Experience, on the other hand, does the contrary: you are in the present, but with one foot in the past. In other words, I prefer the position of perception. All of my work is the progeny of the question. I am a specialist in asking questions, some without answers.”
This piece is Tajuddin Ismail’s ode to Eduardo Chillida, an ode to his works, his beliefs and concepts. As seen in the illustration here, Tajuddin takes his cue from Eduardo’s works to form the shapes that are scattered haphazardly around the canvas, as Tajuddin tastefully colours them and arranges them in a way that becomes a beautiful abstract work.
A former student of UiTM, Tajuddin Ismail studied Graphic Design at the Art Centre College of Design in Los Angeles in 1974 before venturing into Interior Architecture at the Pratt Insitute in New York. He is the recipient for various awards such as the 1977’s National Drawing Competition, the Major Award, the Minor Award, 1978’s National Graphic Arts and the 1979’s Salon Malaysia Award. Currently, he is Sunway University’s Fine Arts department’s Assistant Professor and Academic Advisor.