작품 상세

Trust Khalil Ibrahim to glamorize the hard work of fishermen at work on the beach, rain or shine, in a spirit of camaderie. The struggle gets diminished when carried out together, many hands make light work, or so it seems. Gusto of the communal and the independent effort in the wee hours of the morning or when returning from the sea, with the creeping sunset hastening the urgency - to get home for a nice hot meal, knowing the catch of the day will pay for the sustenance. It's a daily ritual. What is appealing in Khalil's oeuvre is the rhythm of concerted work, the sturdy limbs and the almost psychedelic surface flourish, whether of skin or on fabric. From the incipient flushes in 1959 when he won 2nd Prize in the national Malayan Life competition, about fishermen no less, Khalil Ibrahim conscientiously painted in batik, acrylic, oil, watercolours and ink until he suffered a stroke in 2012. His tutelage at St. Martin's School of Art and Design (National Diploma of Design with a year's postgraduate studies) honed his skills on anatomy, although he did copious drawings with his left hand on his Montel pen. He became a fulltime artist on his return to Malaysia in September 1966 and had a double solo, first of his London works and then batiks, at the Samat Art Gallery in 1970. Khalil, a co-founder of the Malaysian Watercolour Society, celebrated 50 Years of painting, at Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, in an exhibition called A Continued Dialogue.