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Photorealistic Paintings of Eyes Reflecting Their Surroundings

Though it is often said that the human eye can be revealing about a person, Jakarta-based Indonesian artist Veri Apriyatno‘s series titled The Witnesses reveals a lot more about a person's surroundings through the reflection of their eyes. Each hyperrealistic mixed media creation in the series (made with charcoal, pencil, and acrylics on canvas) presents an entire world within the gaze of a glistening eye.

The series presents a captivating viewpoint that is rich enough with unique perspective and content, were it a collection of photographs, but it is all the more impressive, given its photorealistic medium. Apriyatno's skilled hand manages to not only accurately portray the human eye and its multi-textured details–the glossy, at times veiny, surface of the eyeball, wispy eyelashes, wrinkles of the eyelid–but he is also able to believably simulate various scenes in the cornea of each expressive eye. Like tiny magic mirrors, the eyes reveal enough in their reflections without any words necessary.










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Pinar

Pinar Noorata (she/her) is the Editorial Director at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. She also runs her own art & culture newsletter called The High Low. She first joined the My Modern Met team in 2011 as a Contributing Writer, pitching and publishing articles about a wide range of topics. Her expertise in visual media lends itself to in-depth analysis of varied art forms, including but not limited to painting, illustration, sculpture, installation, design, and photography. Pinar has a particular affinity for spotlighting up-and-coming artists, affording them a platform and offering a voice to lesser-heard individuals looking to break through, especially BIPOC creatives. She has helped multiple artists make a name for themselves and reach a wider audience over 10+ years as a writer and editor (both through long-form articles and short-form videos). When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching films and TV, reading, crafting, drawing, frequenting museums and galleries, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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