Here we get a rare glimpse into the man behind the art. In this self-portrait, painted when the artist was forty six years of age, we see a man of intensity and steely determination, and in intense contemplation. The features are modelled carefully with fine brushstrokes, and a sense of mystery is evoked with shadows surrounding the face and neck. Indonesian-born Hoessein Enas led a chequered life, braving the rough seas to escape from the Dutch in December 1947 from Java to Singapore, where he briefly worked as a rickshaw-rider before moving to Penang and finally to Selangor. He formed the Angkatan Pelukis Semenanjung (later SeMalaysia), based on a similar society he helped form in Indonesia. He was granted Malaysian citizenship in 1956. The then Sultan of Selangor made him a Royal portrait painter in May 1990 and awarded him the Dato’ title in March 1991. He is also well remembered for his Shell commissioned paintings called The Malaysians in 1956. The National Art Gallery accorded him a Retrospective in 1966. His awards include fellowships from UNESCO (1960) and the United States (1968), an Asia Foundation grant (1960) and the Colombo Plan (1968).