Lot 79 | Auction XVII

LOT 79

KHALIL IBRAHIM
(B. Kelantan, 1934)

Untitled, 2007

Signed and dated “Khalil Ibrahim 007” on lower right
Acrylic on board
22 x 29 cm

Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur

RM 3,000 – RM 6,000

Khalil Ibrahim emerged as an artist the same time landscape painting had taken Malaysia by storm, as it was often used as a form of cultural expression. He delved into the landscape painting scene and began to journal his own story onto canvas. While many may see landscapes as insignificant pictures, Khalil found deep meanings within them and learnt lessons from them. As there were no art schools back then, groups such as the Wednesday Art Group (founded by Peter Harris) and Penang Artists Groups (founded by Tay Hooi Keat) started to gain an active following. Khalil, however, was no part of either of these and found himself grouping with fellow self-taught artists such as Yusoff Sulaiman and the late Nik Zainal Abiddin. Together, they both joined Saturday art classes, taught by Cikgu Nik Mahmud Idris.

The theme for these classes were always the pastoral settings of kampungs. Here, Khalil learned how, through careful study, to arrange light and composition through which he transformed even the most mundane of settings to stunning visions of beauty.