Lot 49: Langkawi II

LATIFF MOHIDIN (b. Malaysia 1941)
Langkawi II
signed, dated and titled 'Langkawi II' (lower centre) and 'Latiff 77' (lower right)
linocut print
34 1/4 x 18 1/8 in. (87 x 46 cm.)

"It is also significant that the Langkawi works - against the experiments and search that was raging - represent a synthesis of all the 3 major media of creative expression Latiff is known for painting; sculpture and poetry. Unlike his other works, the Langkawi series did not adhere to common fixed notions of painting or sculpture. Although he doesn't use actual words of phrases, these works embody a lyrical beauty based on open readings and a structural perfection characteristic of poetry."

"In an article reviewing the Langkawi exhibition at USM, Kee Thuan Chye writes in 1979:"The painted colours attempt an approximation of the texture and the visual effect of archais objects. Hence the term "Langkawi" which alludes to the island on the north west of Malaysia noted for its legends and natural beauty. The reference is also "kawi" which is a Malay word meaning "old". In fact, the artist has succeeded well in imbuing the painted surface with an illusion of patina, and thus was done by applying many layers of dripped paint. Also, there is no denying that these modern structures suggests a sense of the venerable, archaic and monumental, as the sum of the images mentioned earlier (shields, domes, altars,etc.) suggest. The most striking aspect of Langkawi series is their combination of sculpture and painting."

(Wong Hoy Cheong and Askandar Unglehrt with the assistance of Sugu Kingham, "Langkawi Series" in Pago-Pago to Gelombang: 40 years of Latiff Mohidin , Singapore Art Museum, 1994, pp.38-40).