Before the imposition of more conservative strictures, nudes form a large component of Khalil Ibrahim’s painting oeuvre, whether as drawings or in watercolours, acrylic, batik, pastel and even prints. To uphold decency in a self-censorship, the details are obfuscated with cross-hatchings or thread-balls or with darkened colours or flat colours or by using techniques of concealment in postures or hidden by objects or overlapping figures. At one time long ago, damsels move around in public topless like in Bali, Borneo and Thailand. Khalil’s instinctive understanding of figures, both male and female, and sound anatomy were honed from a rigorous training in his six-year study at the St Martin’s School of Art and Design in London, including post-studies.     Khalil Ibrahim was a versatile southpaw in art. His winning 2nd Prize in the Malayan Life competition sponsored by Lever Brothers in 1959 helped clinch a Pahang State scholarship to study Art in Britain. On his return, he was somehow released from his teaching bond and he became a fulltime artist and had never looked back ever since. He had a double first solo at the Samat Gallery in Kuala Lumpur followed by another solo the same year in Indonesia, but his two major exhibitions came late in his career, in 2004 with A Continued Dialogue at Galeri Petronas, and 2015 The Art Journey. After suffering a stroke in 2012, Khalil had lost his ability to paint with his left hand. Khalil was also a co-founder of the Malaysian Watercolour Society (MWS). He was in both MWS painting expeditions in Sweden and India.