LOT 82
SYED AHMAD JAMAL, DATUK
B. Johor, 1929 – 2011
Hijrah/Hegira, 1999
Acrylic on canvas
122 x 213 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Signed on lower right. Illustrated on page 44 of “Between Heaven and Earth” catalogue hosted in Galeri Petronas in 2000
RM 350,000 – 650,000
Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal was born to fit this artistic role. Born in Bandar Maharani, Muar, Johor on Sept 19, 1929, Syed Ahmad Jamal had a carefree childhood. Even at a very young age, he had a deep sense of observation and appreciation for the natural milieu of his environment. His family lived in a small community where rubber plantations were abundant. Evidence of his keen eye of observation, Syed Ahmad used to find himself gazing at the clouds and sky in fascination and speculated that perhaps God lay amongst those clouds. Hijrah conjures the migration of the great Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, but Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal’s interpretations on canvas take it beyond religiosity, forms, ideas and colours. The composition and transition of the colours in this masterpiece is mind blowing!