LOT 46
Ibrahim Hussein, Datuk
B. Kedah, 1936 – 2009
Multiple Figures, 1976
Inscribed and signed “Mansor – Muga2 Allah selalu disampingmu – ib 27376”
Mixed media on wooden barrel
10 cm (Diameter) 19 cm (Height)
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 15,000 – RM 28,000
Describing his art, Ib said: “To me, painting is like praying. When I paint, I am dealing with my heart, my work and God.”
Ibrahim had always drawn inspiration from the reality and immediate surroundings. In his autobiography titled ‘A Life’, he mentioned that “my life is made of points, textures, colours, shapes, darkness and light, mass, weight, planes, volumes, sounds, smells, and warmth’. All these are expressed in his artworks. Some art analysts considers his artwork as ‘futuristic’. Ibrahim also used a process of creating artwork which he called ‘Printage’. It involved using a combination of two mediums such as printing and collage.
“It is all very well when one paints something, another soon recognises, but it just stops there, leaving others to paint stories. The actual story itself the artist cannot tell in words. It is all very well other people can write books about your creation, but to the artist himself, there is always something there that cannot be explained. Perhaps it is his soul, his unison. The artist cannot explain this, but he knows it is there and it is very real for him.” – Datuk Ibrahim Hussein
Ib was born in Sungai Limau, Kedah, in 1936. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1956 and then moved to London, where he continued his studies at the Byam Shaw School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools. He travelled to France and Italy after being awarded an Award of Merit scholarship. He also founded the Ibrahim Hussein Museum and Cultural Foundation in the Langkawi rainforest, which is a non-profit foundation and museum committed to promoting, developing and advancing art and culture.