LOT 44
KHALIL IBRAHIM
B. Kelantan, 1934 – 2018
From the Well, 1976
Batik
88 x 95 cm
Private Collection, Australia
Signed and dated “Khalil Ibrahim ‘76” on lower left
RM 70,000 – 150,000
Despite his formal western art education, Khalil never wavered from his rich Kelantanese cultural heritage and it was natural that he would pursue batik painting upon his return from England in 1966. For Khalil, the material and tools of batik making were no different from the pens and paints used in artwork. It is undeniable that Khalil’s understanding of batik was deeply rooted. The manufacture of batik has notably been associated with the East Coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, having been introduced into Kelantan by Indonesian craftsmen in the very early twentieth century. Renowned for his pictorial style and his fascination with the daily activities of the rural communities of the East Coast, he employed various techniques that included traditional methods such as dip dye, crackling and the use of the tjanting to imbue delicate lines and details to his paintings. In his abstract batik paintings, he developed techniques by using brush strokes and thus created abstract works that broke through tradition and defied the stereotypes of batik painting.