Garudas at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok (10921613346)

Traditional Thai art is primarily composed of Buddhist art and scenes from the Indian epics. Traditional Thai sculpture almost exclusively depicts images of the Buddha, being very similar with the other styles from Southeast Asia, such as Khmer. Traditional Thai paintings usually consist of book illustrations, and painted ornamentation of buildings such as

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

s and temples. Thai art was influenced by indigenous civilizations of the

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...

and Khmer. By the Sukothai and Ayutthaya period, thai had developed into its own unique style and was later further influenced by the other Asian styles, mostly by Sri Lankan and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

. Thai sculpture and painting, and the royal courts provided patronage, erecting temples and other religious shrines as acts of merit or to commemorate important events.

History

Prehistory

Prior to the southwards migration of the

Thai peoples Thailand is a country of some 70 ethnic groups, including at least 24 groups of ethnolinguistically Tai peoples, mainly the Central, Northeastern, and Northern Thais; 22 groups of Austroasiatic peoples, with substantial populations of Northern Kh ...

from Yunnan in the 10th century,

mainland Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

had been a home to various indigenous communities for thousands of years. The discovery of

Homo erectus ''Homo erectus'' (; meaning "upright man") is an extinct species of archaic human from the Pleistocene, with its earliest occurrence about 2 million years ago. Several human species, such as '' H. heidelbergensis'' and '' H. antecessor' ...

fossils such as Lampang man is an example of archaic hominids. The remains were first discovered during excavations in Lampang Province. The finds have been dated from roughly 1,000,000–500,000 years ago in the Pleistocene. Stone artefacts dating to 40,000 years ago have been recovered from, e.g., Tham Lod rockshelter in

Mae Hong Son Mae Hong Son ( th, แม่ฮ่องสอน, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in north-west Thailand, capital of Mae Hong Son Province. It is in the Shan Hills, near the border with Burma along the banks of the River Pai. As of 2018, the to ...

and Lang Rongrien Rockshelter in Krabi, peninsular Thailand. The archaeological data between 18,000–3,000 years ago primarily derive from cave and rock shelter sites, and are associated with Hoabinhian foragers. Thailandabteilung in Ethnological Museum Berlin 05.JPG, Vessel in the form of a water buffalo; 2300 BC; ceramic; height: 18 cm (7 in.) Thailandabteilung in Ethnological Museum Berlin 02.JPG, Bowl; from Ban Chiang site; painted ceramic; height: 32 cm, diameter: 31 cm Jar, Thailand, Ban Chiang culture, late period, ca. 300 BCE-ca. CE 400, Painted earthenware.jpg, Jar; 300 BC-400 AD; painted earthenware; Honolulu Academy of Arts ( Hawaii, USA)

Sukhothai period

The Sukhothai period began in the 14th century in the

Sukhothai Kingdom The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was fo ...

. Buddha images of the Sukhothai period are elegant, with sinuous bodies and slender, oval faces. This style emphasized the spiritual aspect of the Buddha, by omitting many small

anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

details. The effect was enhanced by the common practice of casting images in metal rather than carving them. This period saw the introduction of the "walking Buddha" pose. Sukhothai also produced a large quantity of glazed ceramics in the Sawankhalok style, which were traded throughout Southeast Asia. Sukhothai Historical Park.jpg, The ruins of Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park Wat Si Chum in Sukhothai.jpg, Phra Achana, Wat Si Chum, Big Buddha image, Sukhothai

Ayutthaya period

The surviving art from this period was primarily executed in stone, characterised by juxtaposed rows of Buddha figures. In the middle period, Sukhothai influence dominated, with large

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

Buddha images, as well as decorations of

gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...

in free-form designs on a

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...

ed background. The late period was more elaborate, with Buddha images in royal attire, set on decorative bases. Buddha Shakyamuni LACMA M.2004.12 (1 of 4).jpg, Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni; 14th-15th century; copper alloy; 73.03 x 53.34 x 25.4 cm (28 x 21 x 10 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA)

Bangkok period

This period is characterized by the further development of the Ayutthaya style, rather than by more great innovation. One important element was the ''Krom Chang Sip Mu'' (Organization of the Ten Crafts), founded in

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

, which was responsible for improving the skills of the country's craftsmen. Paintings from the mid-19th century show the influence of Western art. Monk Devotee LACMA M.2003.231.2 (1 of 2).jpg, Statue of a monk; 19th century; gilt copper alloy; 75.25 x 38.74 x 47.31 cm (29 x 15 x 18 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA) Buddha Shakyamuni in the Parileyaka Forest Attended by Animals LACMA AC1993.53.1a-b (1 of 6).jpg, Buddha Shakyamuni in the Parileyaka forest attended by animals; late 19th century; gilt copper alloy with lacquer; 115.57 x 51.44 x 47.63 cm (45 x 20 x 18 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art WatPhraKeaw Ramayana Chariot.JPG, Hanuman on his chariot, a scene from the Ramakien in Wat Phra Kaew ( Bangkok)

Contemporary

Modern painting in the western sense started late in Thailand, with Professor

Silpa Bhirasri Silpa Bhirasri ( th, ศิลป์ พีระศรี; ; ), born Corrado Feroci (15 September 1892 – 14 May 1962), was a Tuscan-born Thai sculptor. He is considered the father of modern art in Thailand and was instrumental in the found ...

and the establishment of Silpakorn University, but Thai artists are now expressing themselves in a variety of media such as installations, photographs,

prints In molecular biology, the PRINTS database is a collection of so-called "fingerprints": it provides both a detailed annotation resource for protein families, and a diagnostic tool for newly determined sequences. A fingerprint is a group of conserve ...

, video art and performance art. In the mid 1990s, a group of artists created the

Chiang Mai Social Installation The Chiang Mai Social Installation (CSMI) or Chiang Mai Jat Wang Sang Khom, was an art project and festival series founded by Mit Jai Inn, Uthit Atimana, Montien Boonma and Araya Rasjarmrearnsook. The festivals brought arts — particularly in ...

, which brought art and performance out of the traditional gallery setting and into the streets of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

. 2018 saw the first iteration of the

Bangkok Biennial The Bangkok Biennial was a biennial exhibition of contemporary art inaugurated in 2018. The first edition ran from July 1 until September 30. It was the first biennial/biennale event to take place in Thailand. Organised in a decentralised and ope ...

Painting

Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two dimensions without perspective. The size of each element in the picture reflected its degree of importance. The primary technique of composition is that of apportioning areas: the main elements are isolated from each other by space transformers. This eliminated the intermediate ground, which would otherwise imply perspective. Perspective was introduced only as a result of Western influence in the mid-19th century. Monk artist

Khrua In Khong Khrua In Khong ( th, ขรัวอินโข่ง), one of the most celebrated Thai artists, was active in the 1850s and 1860s during the reign of King Rama IV. He was a painter under the patronage of King Rama IV (Mongkut). Khrua In Khong an ...

is well-known as the first artist to introduce linear perspective to Thai traditional art. The most frequent narrative subjects for paintings were or are: the Jataka stories, episodes from the life of the Buddha, the Buddhist

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

s and

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

s, themes derived from the Thai versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, not to mention scenes of daily life. Some of the scenes are influenced by Thai folklore instead of following strict Buddhist

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

. File:Phra Malai Manuscript LACMA M.76.93.2 (1 of 21).jpg, A page of the Phra Malai Manuscript; opaque watercolor and ink on paper; covers: gilded and lacquered paper; c. 1860–1880; 13.97 x 68.26 x 6.35 cm (5 x 26 x 2 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art File:Phra Malai Manuscript LACMA M.76.93.2 (20 of 21).jpg, A page of the Phra Malai Manuscript; opaque watercolor and ink on paper; covers: gilded and lacquered paper; c. 1860–1880; 13.97 x 68.26 x 6.35 cm (5 x 26 x 2 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art File:Thai - Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 8 (The Royal Children) - Walters 35246 - A T Front.jpg, Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 8 (The Royal Children); 1920-1940 AD; paint on cloth; height: 52.5 cm (20.6 in), width: 66.5 cm (26.1 in); Walters Art Museum (

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, USA) File:The monk Phra Malai converses with Indra in heaven Wellcome L0030798.jpg, A page of a Thai manuscript from the Wellcome Collection (London) that represents the monk Phra Malai converses with Indra in heaven

Sculpture

Thai sculpture almost exclusively depicts images of the Buddha, being very similar with the other styles from Southeast Asia, such as Khmer. Most of the sculptures depict Buddha. An exception is the '' dvarapala''. Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (016).jpg, Lintel depicting the Hindu god

Nārāyaṇa Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is con ...

sleeping upon the serpent Śeṣa in the middle of the Milky Ocean; around 12th century; obtained from the

Ku Suan Taeng Temple Ku, KU, or Kū may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ku (fictional language), a constructed language created for the 2005 film The Interpreter * Esther Ku, a Korean-American comedian * Kumi Koda, Japanese pop star nicknamed Ku or Kuu * In an ali ...

(

Ban Mai Chaiyaphot District Ban Mai Chaiyaphot ( th, บ้านใหม่ไชยพจน์, ) is a district (''amphoe'') of Buriram province, northeastern Thailand. History The minor district (''king amphoe'') Ban Mai Chaiyaphot was created on 1 April 1992 by split ...

, Buri Ram Province); Bangkok National Museum Dvarapala.JPG, Guardian figure (dvarapala); 15th century; glazed stonewear;

Harn Museum of Art The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art is an art museum at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. It is in the UF Cultural Plaza area in the southwest part of campus. The Harn is a 112,800-square-foot-facility, making it one of the largest un ...

( Florida, USA)

Architecture

Architecture is the preeminent medium of the country's cultural legacy and reflects both the challenges of living in Thailand's sometimes extreme climate as well as, historically, the importance of architecture to the Thai people's sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand's neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings.

Thai temples

Buddhist temples in Thailand are known as " wats", from the Pāḷi ''vāṭa'', meaning an enclosure. A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. Wat architecture has seen many changes in Thailand in the course of history. Although there are many differences in layout and style, they all adhere to the same principles. ความงามยามค่ำคืน.JPG, '' Wat Phra Kaew'', regarded as the most sacred

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

( wat) in Thailand Thai-roof.jpg, Roof and gable of the main viharn of

Wat Phra Singh Wat Phra Singh (full name: Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn; th, วัดพระสิงห์วรมหาวิหาร; ;pronunciation; nod, ) is a Buddhist temple ( Thai language: Wat) in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. King Ananda ...

01-วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนารามราชวรวิหาร.jpg, Wat Benchamabophit, a Buddhist temple ( wat) in the

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok *Dusit Palace, namesake of the district * Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

district of Bangkok (Thailand) Kamphengkaeowatrajbopit02.jpg, The ''kamphaeng kaeo'' (crystal wall) surrounding the ubosot at

Wat Ratchabophit Wat Ratchabophit () or formally Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan ( th, วัดราชบพิธสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร), is a Buddhist temple on Atsadang Road, Bangkok, alon ...

in Bangkok

Traditional Thai houses

As the phrase "Thai stilt house" suggests, one universal aspect of Thailand's traditional architecture is the elevation of its buildings on stilts, most commonly to around head height. The area beneath the house is used for storage, crafts, lounging in the daytime, and sometimes for livestock. The houses were raised due to heavy flooding during certain parts of the year, and in more ancient times, predators. Thai building and living habits are often based on superstitious and religious beliefs. Many other considerations such as locally available materials, climate, and agriculture have a lot to do with the style. Amphawa Rama II park houses 1.jpg, The traditional Thai house at

King Rama II Memorial Park The King Rama II Memorial Park is in the Amphawa District of Thailand's Samut Songkhram Province. It serves as a memorial for King Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II) and his patronage of Thai art and culture. The King Rama II Museum and a large t ...

Ruen Thai Chulalongkorn.jpg, ''

Chulalongkorn Traditional Thai house Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

'' is a central Thai traditional style house mixed with decoration Thai house.jpg, Traditional Thai-style stilt house on a canal near the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

in Bangkok Bkkwangsuanpakkardlp03.jpg, '' Suan Pakkad Palace'', in Bangkok

Ceramics

Ceramics in Thailand were mostly used for domestic purposes such as holding food and water. Thai ceramics in the pattern of nature and animals were popular between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Types

Shadow play

Shadow theatre in Thailand is called '' nang yai''; in the south there is a tradition called '' nang talung''. ''Nang yai'' puppets are normally made of cowhide and rattan. Performances are normally accompanied by a combination of songs and

chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

s. Performances in Thailand were temporarily suspended in 1960 due to a fire at the national theatre. ''Nang'' drama has influenced modern Thai cinema, including filmmakers like

Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri (Thai alphabet, Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his visi ...

and

Payut Ngaokrachang Payut Ngaokrachang ( th, ปยุต เงากระจ่าง, April 1, 1929 – May 27, 2010) was a Thai cartoonist and animator. He created Thai cinema's first cel-animated feature film, ''The Adventure of Sudsakorn''. Biography Early ...

.Nang Yai
from

Mahidol University Mahidol University (Mahidol), an autonomous research institution in Thailand, had its origin in the establishment of Siriraj Hospital in 1888. Mahidol had an acceptance rate for Medicine of 0.4% as of the 2016 academic year. Becoming the Univers ...

. Thailand-shadow-puppet.jpg, A ''nang talung'' shadow puppet Nang Yai puppet.jpg, A ''nang'' drama player and puppet Aquatic fairy that seduces Hanuman - Museu do Oriente - Lisbon, Portugal - DSC06730.JPG, A shadow puppet that represents an aquatic fairy that seduces Hanuman;

Museum of the Orient The Museum of the Orient (Portuguese: ''Museu do Oriente'') in Lisbon, Portugal is a museum of Asian art. The museum opened in May, 2008, and is located in a refurbished industrial building on the Alcântara waterfront. The collection includes I ...

(

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Portugal) Rama, Sita, and Laksmana - Museu do Oriente - Lisbon, Portugal - DSC06731.JPG, A shadow puppet that represents a group of Rama, Sita and Laksmana; Museum of the Orient

References

External links

Rama IX Art Museum
Virtual museum of Thai contemporary artists. Listings of museums, galleries, exhibitions and venues. Contains muchinformation on Thai artists and art activities.
Golden Triangle Art
Introduction of contemporary art and artists living and working in Northern Thailand and Myanmar. Guide to art galleries, art News and exhibitions with focus on Chiang Mai.
Thai Buddhist Art
Thai Buddhist Art Website Project to Promote and play a part in the growth of the Thai Fine Art Community of Collectors and Aficionados. Representing a host of Thailand's Most Outstanding Artists. *Online display of the 19th-centur
Thai Manuscript ''Traiphum''
(Illustrated Text on Cosmology) from the Harvard Art Museums’ collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thai Art Art by country