SEATED NUDE, A LARGE OIL BY KYS

* KYS (FRENCH b. 1949),
SEATED NUDE
oil on canvas
overall size 135cm x 111cm
Unframed.
Provenance: Acquired by the vendor from REDSEA Gallery, Block 9 Dempsey Road, #01-10 Dempsey Hill, Singapore 247697 in 2010/11. Ms Anita Saraswathy (Gallery Manager, REDSEA Gallery) has recently confirmed the current gallery price for a Kys work of this size is SG$9000 (approximately £5030).
Note: "Kys" was born in 1949. His quest of the spiritual world of Asia began 30 years ago when he left France to travel through India, Nepal, Thailand and Japan. With an impeccable photo-realistic painting technique and a mastery of light and shade, Kys depicts the particular quality of each Jayavarman (King of Cambodia) or nude image. Using acrylic paint, gold or silver leaf and other secret ingredients; in his Jayavarman paintings he depicts the ancient patina of stone statues, worn by thousands of years of monsoon rains. Kys says “When I paint, I pray with my brush.” Modestly, he sees himself as merely a channel between the model and the viewer. Kys will paint his subject from a figurehead (his nudes from live model). Several layers of acrylic paint are used on the canvas. His subject is then painted on these layers enhancing the texture, tones and depth by using gold and silver leaf. His technique produces an incredible three-dimensional image, almost as if it was a hologram. The text he uses are single words, stamped on, written in ancient Khmer, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and other Asian languages. Their meanings are simple; Happiness, love, health, kindness, warmth and other words that collectively do not make a single sentence but bring the understanding and feeling of peace and harmony to the viewer.