Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arts
Much of Thailand's best ancient art is on display inside the country's many famous
temples, while Bangkok's many national and commercial museums curate contemporary
collections.
Traditional Painting & Sculpture
Thailand's artistic repository resides in the temples where Buddha sculptures and murals
communicate a visual language of the religion. These Buddha images trace Thailand's his-
torical and artistic evolution from a conquered backwater to a sovereign nation. The period
when the country first defined its own artistic style was during the Sukhothai era, famous
for its graceful and serene Buddha figures.
Temple murals are the main form of ancient Thai art. Always instructional in intent,
murals often depict the
jataka
(stories of the Buddha's past lives) and the Thai version of
the Hindu epic
Ramayana
. Lacking the durability of other art forms, pre-20th-century reli-
gious painting is limited to very few surviving examples. The earliest examples are found
at Ayuthaya's Wat Ratburana, but Bangkok has some of the best surviving examples.
The development of Thai religious art and architecture is broken into different periods
defined by the patronage of the ruling capital. The best examples of a period's characterist-
ics are seen in the variations of the
chedi
shape and in the features of the Buddha sculp-
tures, including facial features, the top flourish on the head, the dress and the position of
the feet in meditation.
HANDMADE ART
Thailand has a long tradition of handicrafts, often regionally and even village specific. Ceramics include the green-
ish celadon products, the red-earth clay pots of Dan Kwian, and central Thailand's
ben·jà·rong
or 'five-colour'
style.
Ben·jà·rong
is based on Chinese patterns while celadon is of Thai origin.
Northern Thailand has long produced regionally distinctive lacquerware thanks to the influence of Burmese ar-
tisans.
Each region in Thailand has its own silk-weaving style. In ancient times woven textiles might have functioned
much like business cards do today - demarcating tribal identity and sometimes even marriage status. Today, village
weaving traditions continue but have become less geographically specific.
