Introduction
Traditional Thai paintings are perhaps the most fascinating and original aspect of Thai art. They are sermons in line and color that have exerted an enduring influence on the life of the people.
Thai painters derived their inspiration from the
Jatakas. Jatakas are religious fables that recall the lives of the Buddha either as human being or beast and his path to enlightenment. The last ten tales of the 547 Jatakas, to the exclusion of others, are the subject for painting and teaching. Although the paintings are not for individual aesthetic expression, they are nonetheless works of art in their own right.
In Thai painting as in Thai dance, the gestures express emotions. Faces are, for the greater part, mask-like, sublime and distant. In contrast to the rigid and academic portrayal of elevated personages, the rendering of common people is free and often drawn with broad lusty humor even in the most reverend of scenes. Thai paintings transport one to the mythical and fantastic realms where divinities, fabulous beasts and spirits act their role.
To those who are already familiar with this rich pictorial heritage, this collection will delight; to those who are not, it will be a revelation.
Thai paintings have just one purpose: to guide and inspire the devout through illustrations of religious traditions or moral values.
Thai paintings have some of the basic features of other Asian paintings: there is an absence of shadow and perspective with a fixed view and vanishing point. The depiction of a tale seldom devotes to just one episode. A number of scenes overlap with distance created by the relative placement of figures and objects.
The composition is a combination of mass, line and bright unmixed colors. The figures drawn with flat colors have uneven flowing contours. Landscapes, when drawn, are only incidental to primarily separate the scenarios.
Early Thai paintings are generally non-narrative in subject and evolved from the Buddhist art of India, Ceylon and China. There is evidence to suggest that the shadow play that came from Java in the 15th century influenced Thai paintings. From the late 18th century however, painters delighted in depicting narrative subjects that incorporated a lot of local thought and character. It was during this period that Thai paintings became uniquely Thai.
The last of the Jatakas, called Mahachat or The Great Birth is the most popular subject in Thai paintings. During the Buddhist lent, chanting over three days accompanies the unfurling of these banners. The Thai version has thirteen cantos consisting of over one thousand verses.
The main feature of this collection is a complete set of banner paintings illustrating the Vessantara story. The style of the painting and the inscriptions suggests they come from the Northeast of Thailand. They date to the late 19th century. Each banner measures apx. 173 cm. by 89 cm.
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Standing Buddha
This painting depicts the Buddha with his hand bestowing blessings. Flanking him are his two chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, with thepanoms or angels hovering above. The Buddha, royally dressed, has a bejewelled head dress and elaborate attire typical of the period.
Late 19th century.
19th Century, Bangkok Period
Natural pigments on cloth
Framed under plexiglass
Size: 152 cm (ht.) x 89 cm (width)
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