Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bell-shaped
chedi
with tapering
spire
Colourful and gil-
ded temple with
Western-Thai
styles; mosaic-
covered
chedi
Bangkok-
Ratanakosin
period (19th
century)
Wat Phra Kaew, Wat
Pho and Wat Arun,
Bangkok
Reviving Ayuthaya style
Contemporary Art
Adapting traditional themes and aesthetics to the secular canvas began around the
turn of the 20th century, as Western influence surged in the region. In general, Thai
painting favours abstraction over realism and continues to preserve the one-dimen-
sional perspective of traditional mural paintings. There are two major trends in Thai
art: the updating of religious themes and the tongue-in-cheek social commentary.
Italian artist Corrado Feroci is often credited as the father of modern Thai art. He
was first invited to Thailand by Rama VI in 1924 and built Bangkok's Democracy
Monument, among other European-style statues. Feroci founded the country's first
fine arts institute in 1933, a school that eventually developed into Silpakorn
University, Thailand's premier training ground for artists. In gratitude, the Thai gov-
ernment made Feroci a Thai citizen, with the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri.
The Modern Buddha
In the 1970s Thai artists began to tackle the modernisation of Buddhist themes
through abstract expressionism. Leading works in this genre include the mystical
pen-and-ink drawings of Thawan Duchanee. Receiving more exposure overseas,
Montien Boonma used the ingredients of Buddhist merit-making, such as gold leaf,
bells and candle wax, to create abstract temple spaces within museum galleries.
Protest & Satire
In Thailand's quickly industrialising society, many artists watched as the rice fields
became factories, the forests became asphalt and the spoils went to the politically
connected. During the student activist days of the 1970s the Art for Life Movement
was the banner under which creative discontents - including musicians, intellectu-
