Image size: 14 x 9.3 cm
Latiff Mohidin, born in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia in 1941 completed his primary education in Singapore. While in Singapore, at an early age, Latiff’s precocity in understanding paintings earned him the nickname, ‘Wonder Boy’. From 1960-1964, Latiff studied art at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Berlin, Germany and did brief residencies in Paris and New York. Inspired by his exploration of Southeast Asia in 1964, Latiff has since produced compelling series of artworks – the result of a synthesis between his European experience and the rediscovery of his homeland. He is also a poet who has published several volumes of poetry. ‘Thorns, Berlin’ was inspired by Latiff’s first underwater venture which left on his imagination; indelible imprints of life with bewildering forms from the bottom of the sea. The image which was inscribed is gathered in an intricately knit configuration at the centre of the picture surface, appearing into view from the bottom edge in a stilled yet lively composition – akin to Latiff’s underwater study of the clusters of sprouting corals with their opening and closing floral fingers. Pictorially, it represents an amalgamation of Latiff’s studies on the architectural traits in plant life and the rhythmic movements in sea life.
