Lot 84
ABDUL LATIFF MOHIDIN
b. Negeri Sembilan, 1941
SAMARKHAND 3, 1994
Signed and dated ‘Latiff 94’ lower left, inscribed
‘Latiff Mohidin “Samarkhand 3” 1994 Kuala Lumpur’
on reverse
Oil on canvas
152cm x 114cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Singapore; acquired directly from the artist.
ESTIMATE RM 150,000 - 250,000
PRICE REALISED RM 605,000
|
“If it is said that a paradise is to be seen in this world, then the paradise of this world is Samarkand.”
~ Ata-Malik Juvaini (1226-1283)
Persian historian
Under the spotlight is a gem by abstract art maestro Abdul Latiff Mohidin from his Samarkhand series. The limited number of works from this series, coupled with the fact that this piece titled Samarkhand 3 being one of the largest in scale, make it an extremely rare find.
Here, an avalanche toss with parched strokes seeming to spew forth from the centre with lava spurt in yellow glows and glorious darkened reds with black highlights. The organic forms are rendered masterfully in an effortlessly balanced composition set in a vertical format. Upon closer scrutiny, strokes of blues and greens peer through the shadows while the raw and rough textures of the material can be witnessed up-close.
A work that mutates from the sound and fury of Latiff’s Gelombang triggered by the opened floodgates of memory to a place in time, Samarkand - the ‘old world’ historical melting pot of the East and the West, the ‘jewel’ of Islamic central Asia. One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, it has been added by UNESCO to its World Heritage List as Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures in 2001. According to the latest research of the Uzbek and French archeologists, Samarkand was founded 2750 years ago, almost as long as Rome. It was known to the ancient Greeks as Marakanda. The city flourished between the 14th and 15th centuries during the Amir Temur era. Alexander the Great (329 BC), Genghis Khan (1220) and many other conquerors had destroyed Samarkand, which rose from the ashes each time like a phoenix. The word ‘Samarkhand’ is written on the top of the painting, but hidden within layers of paint, waiting to be discovered.
The name Samarkand is derived from Old Persian asmara and from Sogdian qand, which literally means ‘rock town’. Dominated in earthy red hues, Samarkhand 3 exudes a feel as though it has just risen from the ground, almost as if a creation of God. No paean to the beauteous, this has nothing to do with the bevy of mausolea that marks Samarkand’s fame. It is an intellectual kinship celebrating the wealth of knowledge and the undiminished spirit of human struggles and is a fine example of emotion manifested in expressive strokes of the brush and in fiery colour. Vivid, striking, rich and bold, this piece is the very embodiment of its subject in abstract.
Perfectly preserved by the owner, this work was acquired directly from the artist, and has remained in the private collection since for 18 years. Never been exhibited, it will now finally come to public view for the very first time.
Latiff is known for his art of painting, printmaking and sculptures as well as his poetry and books on aesthetics. He graduated from the German academy, DAAD (Deutscher Akademescher AustGuschdientst) in Bonn 1960. He also took up printmaking courses at the Atelier La Courrier in Paris and the Pratt Institute in New York in 1969. His first major art prize was the 2nd Prize (Graphic) in the 1968 Salon Malaysia. As a writer, he won the Malaysian Literary Awards from 1972 to 1976, the coveted South East Asian Writers Award in Bangkok in 1984, and the National Literary Award in 1984 and 1986. His first solo exhibition at the age of 10 at the Kota Raya Malay School in 1951 earned him the title of ‘boy wonder’ by the local press. He is now regarded as a national treasure and has become one of the leading modern artists in Southeast Asia.
REFERENCE
Pago-Pago to Gelombang: 40 Years of Latiff Mohidin, Singapore Art Museum, 1994
L.I.N.E Latiff Mohidin: From Point To Point by Latiff Mohidin, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 1993 (translated by Adibah Amin)
Garis: Works On Paper - From Berlin to Samarkhand, 2005
The Journey to Wetlands, & Beyond, Singapore Art Museum; 2006
|
