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Traditional Thai art is primarily composed of Buddhist art and scenes from the Indian epics. Traditional Thai
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
almost exclusively depicts images of the Buddha, being very similar with the other styles from
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, such as Khmer. Traditional Thai
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...
s 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
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
s. 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 * A ...
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. 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 Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
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 ...
from
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
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 Lampang ( th, ลำปาง, ; Northern Thai: ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), lies in upper northern Thailand. The old name of Lampang was ''Khelang Nakhon''. Geography Lampang is in the broad river valley of t ...
. The finds have been dated from roughly 1,000,000–500,000 years ago in the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
. Stone artefacts dating to 40,000 years ago have been recovered from, e.g.,
Tham Lod rockshelter Tham Lod Rockshelter ( th, เพิงผาถ้ำลอด), first researched by Rasmi Shoocongdej from Silpakorn University, funded by the Thai Research Fund, was a prehistoric cemetery and a workshop located in Northern Thailand known to ha ...
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 ...
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 Hoabinhian is a lithic techno-complex of archaeological sites associated with assemblages in Southeast Asia from late Pleistocene to Holocene, dated to c.10,000–2000 BCE. It is attributed to hunter-gatherer societies of the region and their ...
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 Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, 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 ...
. Buddha images of the Sukhothai period are elegant, with sinuous bodies and slender, oval
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
s. 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 Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejecte ...
images in
metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
rather than
carving Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
them. This period saw the introduction of the "walking Buddha" pose. Sukhothai also produced a large quantity of glazed
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
s in the Sawankhalok style, which were traded throughout Southeast Asia. Sukhothai Historical Park.jpg, The ruins of Wat Mahathat,
Sukhothai Historical Park Sukhothai Historical Park ( th, อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัยPronunciation) covers the ruins of Sukhothai, literally 'dawn of happiness', capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th cent ...
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 suc ...
or
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 c ...
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 The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...
(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, 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 The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...
(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 Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
on his chariot, a scene from the
Ramakien The ( th, รามเกียรติ์, , ; ; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics, derived from the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka. Fundamentally, it is a Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Ramakien is an importa ...
in
Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew ( th, วัดพระแก้ว, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex c ...
(
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
)


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 A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...
,
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 conserved ...
,
video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...
and
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
. In the mid 1990s, a group of artists created the Chiang Mai Social Installation, 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.


Painting

Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two
dimension In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coord ...
s 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 The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...
stories, episodes from the life of the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
, 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 The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...
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 The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...
(
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 ...
, USA) File:The monk Phra Malai converses with Indra in heaven Wellcome L0030798.jpg, A page of a Thai manuscript from the
Wellcome Collection Wellcome Collection is a museum and library based at 183 Euston Road, London, displaying a mixture of medical artefacts and original artworks exploring "ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art". Founded in 2007, the Wellcome C ...
(London) that represents the monk Phra Malai converses with Indra in heaven


Sculpture

Thai
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
almost exclusively depicts images of the Buddha, being very similar with the other styles from
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, such as Khmer. Most of the sculptures depict Buddha. An exception is the ''
dvarapala A Dvarapala or Dvarapalaka (Sanskrit, "door guard"; IAST: ' ) is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the ''gada'' (mace). The dvarapala statue is a wide ...
''. Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (016).jpg, Lintel depicting the Hindu god Nārāyaṇa sleeping upon the serpent Śeṣa in the middle of the Milky Ocean; around 12th century; obtained from the Ku Suan Taeng Temple ( Ban Mai Chaiyaphot District, 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 ...
(
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, 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 Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
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 Wat Phra Kaew ( th, วัดพระแก้ว, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex c ...
'', 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 repres ...
( wat) in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
Thai-roof.jpg, Roof and gable of the main viharn of Wat Phra Singh in
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 ...
01-วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนารามราชวรวิหาร.jpg,
Wat Benchamabophit Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram ( th, วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนาราม; ) is a Buddhist temple ( wat) in the Dusit District of Bangkok, Thailand. Also known as the marble temple, it is one of Bangkok's bes ...
, a
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
( 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 Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
(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, alo ...
in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...


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 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. ...
in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
Bkkwangsuanpakkardlp03.jpg, '' Suan Pakkad Palace'', in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...


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 Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
is called '' nang yai''; in the south there is a tradition called '' nang talung''. ''Nang yai'' puppets are normally made of
cowhide Cowhide is the natural, unbleached skin and hair of a cow. It retains the original coloring of the animal. Cowhides are a product of the food industry from cattle. Cowhide is frequently processed into leather. Process Once a cow has been killed ...
and
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical fores ...
. Performances are normally accompanied by a combination of
song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
s 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 n ...
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: 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 vision of Thai cul ...
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 Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
;
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 In ...
(
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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
, Portugal) Rama, Sita, and Laksmana - Museu do Oriente - Lisbon, Portugal - DSC06731.JPG, A shadow puppet that represents a group of
Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
,
Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
and Laksmana; Museum of the Orient


See also

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Buddha images in Thailand A Buddha image in Thailand typically refers to three-dimensional stone, wood, clay, or metal cast images of the Buddha. While there are such figures in all regions where Buddhism is commonly practiced, the appearance, composition and position of ...
* Culture of Thailand * History of Asian art * Iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand * Khon * List of Buddhist temples in Thailand * Music of Thailand


References


Further reading

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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