LOT 78
ISMAIL LATIFF
(B. Melaka, 1955)
Gambir No. 1, 2006
Signed “Ismail Latiff” on lower middle
Acrylic on paper
38 x 29 cm
Kayu Manis No. 2, 2006
Signed “Ismail Latiff” on lower right
Acrylic on paper
38 x 29 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 6,160
Ismail Latiff delivers us once more from the wear and tear of reality, and takes us into his realm of escapism. Not one to shy away from colours, Ismail’s works are always enchanting, speaking to us not only visually, but also spiritually. According to art critic Ooi Kok Chuen, Ismail Latiff is one of the greatest escape artists to ever wield the brush.
There is an instant comfort in gazing upon Ismail’s art, as they are always so full of life, seemingly teeming with visual comfort that seems so rare these days. With expert combinations and blending of colours that seem to simultaneously clash and harmonize, he paints dreams. Coincidentally, it was Van Gogh who said, “I dream of painting and I paint my dreams.”
In the midst of the more-than-welcome chaos of colours, Ismail Latiff’s circle of balance is ever-present at the top middle of the canvas, to symbolise the search to become one with the cosmos, as he described.