LOT 64
JEIHAN SUKMANTORO
B. Indonesia, 1938 – 2019
Mariam, 2011
Signed and dated Jeihan 11 on upper right
Oil on canvas
70 x 70 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
RM 6,000 – 12,000
At the tender age of six, an accident left Jeihan with brain damage and epilepsy. He was believed to be dead, but he awakened before he was buried. This experience was believed to play a significant role in his paintings. Internationally sought after for his tasteful figurative portraits, the hallmark of Jeihan’s artworks is his subject’s blank eyes. Dramatic and striking, the effect can be unsettling but the peculiarity and air of mystery surrounding it draws viewers in. Perhaps this is the artist’s commentary on not conforming to society’s standards. While there’s a saying that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, there is plenty of soul to be found in his work despite the absence of his subject’s eyes, as in this painting.