Artist Hand Paints Jaw-Dropping Photorealistic Image Of Sultan Kedah On Songket Cloth

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A painter has gone viral on social media after he shared a video on Threads showing his meticulous process of painting a portrait of Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin, the current Sultan of Kedah, directly on a piece of songket — a hand-woven fabric traditionally found in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The artist Wisyi (@wisyilukis on Threads) said in his post that the Sultan Kedah piece he showcased is his third artwork showcased in a royal palace.

“My third drawing to earn a place in a palace. This time, I painted a portrait of KDYMM Sultan Kedah on a songket encrusted with Swarovski,’ he wrote on Threads.

Malaysians were in awe of his latest work

Looking to the comments section, many Malaysians sang praises to the artist for his detailed rendition of the sultan.

“Crazy.. so ultra realistic,” one user commented, highlighting the minute details of the sultan’s likeness.

“Brother, is this a drawing or a printed photo?” another user joked in amazement.

Others posted curious questions about the process such as how much time it took to complete the entire drawing, and whether he used any digital tools such as a computer to assist his process.

He has produced artworks of other Malaysian national figures too

Wisyi’s work has actually gone viral before. To celebrate Hari Merdeka this year, he stitched together several kain pelikat of different colours to form the Malaysian flag and then drew a portrait of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister and Father of Independence Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj in his iconic pose.

Not long after that, he produced a portrait of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and his wife, Raja Permaisuri Agong Raja Zarith Sofiah on songket cloth.

This songket painting was his first piece that made it into the king’s royal palace, Istana Negara.

Wisyi’s artworks are popular with the rakyat as they are all centered around Malaysiana. Many of his creative handiwork feature Malaysian achitecture, foods, cats, and even celebrities like national songstress Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza.

What is even more admirable about Wisyi is his humbleness. In an instagram post about his songket portrait of the king, he said:

“When I was in high school, I always felt that my talent for drawing was useless. At that time, I always wondered why Allah did not bless me with a skill that is more useful. Most of my friends looked like they had more useful strengths. At that time I never thought that many would appreciate artistic talents like they would today.”

Despite the understimation of his own talents, Wisyi has definitely gained lots of appreciation from others for his work through passion and perseverance. We can only hope his passion for the arts continues to burn bright.

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