LOT 63
YUSOF GHANI
B. Johor 1950
Hijau Series “Serkat“, 1998
Signed and dated “Yusof Ghani 98“ on lower right Inscribed “Yusof Ghani Hijau Series Serkat 1998“ on the verso
Oil on canvas
122 x 90 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 34,000 – RM 55,000
In the beginning, Yusof Ghani painted nature as it was – natural. Commentaries were not present, as were cryptic messages. They were plain graphical documentations of the places he had travelled to, like a diary. However, that changed a bit later on, and Yusof began to truly observe nature, gathering his inner consciousness to encode and decode the messages hidden by nature’s elements. Naturally, as an art, one never takes things simply for what they are. Now this piece, from the Hijau Series is described as one’s artistic discourse with nature. There is a myriad of colours present here and a constant interaction amongst them. The pieces themed around Hijau, according to Yusof, are images of his own personal epiphany, of the breaking of barriers that once stopped him from reaching his own human awareness with nature. These landscapes are the closest to Man and constantly surround the human activities, yet many are exploiting it. This piece, in a way, is a call to appreciate and realize the beauty and depletion of nature.