Lot 54: Joyous harvest time

SUCHAO SISGANES (Thailand 1926-1986)
Joyous harvest time
signed in Thai (lower right)
oil on board
16 x 18 in. (40.5 x 45.5 cm.)

Acquired directly from the artist by Mr Krisada A Kulkit, owner of KA Gallery.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Suchao is a unique individual amongst the Thai artists. Not concerning himself with Buddhist-inspired images nor the picturesque landscape of the country, he creates a personal world with daily, mundane concerns of an individual in his works, which most people can understand. The composition of the works is often of a simple, geometric construction that speaks of neatness and cleanliness, which in turn conveys a curious sense of stillness and transience. It is this atmospheric element that lures the viewer further into the metaphysical world of the artist, wishing to probe deeper into the sadness and loneliness of Suchao, thus making the process a very intimate and engaging one.

Suchao Sisganes's simple world is constructed before us in this composition. The compositional elements are strikingly and intently rudimentary and rare. Working with his characteristic successive blotches of paint, he painted himself in the foreground wearing a hat that shapes like a roof which in turns corresponds with his own body in terms of the colour (red) and the texture of the paint. Together with the 'hat' and the rectangular shaped body, the artist himself resembles a living house. The intention of the artist is plain. Destitute and desolate for most part of his life, the artist is preoccupied with the material comforts of a house and food which he often expresses in his works. The physiognomic details of the portrait are unmistakably Suchao with the plaited hair and small eyes.

Unlike some of the dark and morbid works of Suchao which emphasized the barren and the stark composition, Joyous harvest time belongs to the artist's category of happy paintings which is also an alternate way of expressing the artist's longing for a well provided living. The physical representation is an extension of the internal state of the artist, materially deprived, he is wishing for an idyllic world where food is abundant and living is comfortable. The artist's characteristic style endows the composition with flattened strokes of red, green and pink that is heightened with the white space, resulting in a patterned effect of the work, almost making it looks like a patch work which in turn accentuates the simplicity in the thoughts and in the style of the artist.