LOT 6
KHALIL IBRAHIM
B. Kelantan, 1934 – 2018
Crossing the River, 1950s
Signed “Khalil” on lower left Oil on canvas
30 x 52.5 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Canada
RM 7,500 – RM 12,000
Khalil Ibrahim graduated from the prestigious St. Martin’s School of Art & Design, United Kingdom in 1964. The late artist was a master storyteller, telling tales of his home in the East Coast as well as its landscapes through his artworks. Entitled, ‘Crossing the River, 1950s’, this work is no exception, giving audience a glimpse of beauty through his eyes. Khalil and his affinity for detail and colours are on full display here, capturing the flora surrounding the river, traditional Malay wooden houses in the far distance and villagers treading through the waterway with a sampan. The 1950’s was when Khalil produced bounteous landscape works similar to that of “Sunrise” in terms of craft and scenery. These include the “Pahang Series”, “Landscape Series” and “Sunset”, all produced in 1957. Khalil’s landscapes were his Eden and it can be observed that he was not concerned with any specific object or subject in his vast landscape which was how he liked it and wanted to depict.