070

Here is a simple sketch on an ordinary envelope, and yet so profound. There is a stark contrast between a building in the background which is ostentatious, monumental and perhaps dedicated to the Gods or royalty, and the unassuming attap houses in the foreground, unusually low and accessible by a flight of step-ladders. A shortened covered anjung or porch allows for a spot of comfort. In the backdrop of the two man-made structures are coconut trees standing over the huts. The stone ruins are reminiscent of the Pago-Pago totems.

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.