Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [45]
In the new millennium, Duangrit Bunnag has excited the design world with his nearly undressed glass boxes offering a contemporary twist on mid-century modernism. The H1 complex on Soi Thonglor in Bangkok is a series of interconnected geometric cubes with flat cantilevered roofs, glass curtain windows and exposed steel ribs, arranged around a courtyard much like a traditional Thai house. Encore performances include the Pier restaurant on Ko Samui and Costa Lanta on Ko Lanta. He has now even built his way into interior design with his minimalist Anyroom design label.
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Bangkok: Thai Interior Design (2006), by Brian Mertens, documents the country’s design boom and profiles artists as well as artisans.
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PAINTING & SCULPTURE
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Traditional Art
Thailand’s artistic repository remains mainly in the temples where you’ll find ornate murals depicting Hindu-Buddhist mythology and Buddha sculptures, which define Thailand’s most famous contribution to the world of religious art.
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Bangkok’s National Museum (Click here) offers a comprehensive comparative look at Buddhist art through the ages.
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Always instructional in intent, temple murals often show depictions of the jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past life) and the Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Reading the murals requires both knowledge of these religious tales and an understanding of the mural’s spatial relationship and chronology. Most murals are divided into scenes, in which the main theme is depicted in the centre with resulting events taking place above and below the central action. Usually in the corner of a dramatic episode between the story’s characters are independent scenes of Thai village life: women carrying food in bamboo baskets, men fishing, or a happy communal get-together; all of these simple village folk wear the ubiquitous Thai smile.
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THE BUDDHA LINE-UP
Like other Buddhist cultures, Thailand borrowed and adapted the religious iconography and symbolism that first developed in India. Based on rules defined by Indian artists, the Buddha is depicted in poses (mudra) that are symbolic of a particular episode in his life or of certain religious precepts. For example, a standing Buddha with one or both hands raised and the palms facing the viewer represents dispelling fear from his followers. Buddha sitting in the lotus position with hands folded and palms facing upwards represents meditation. When the Buddha is in the basic meditation position, but with the right hand pointing towards the earth, then the figure is subduing Mara, a demon who tried to tempt Buddha. A reclining Buddha represents his dying moment.
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Lacking the durability of other art forms, pre-20th century religious painting is limited to very few surviving examples. The earliest examples are found at Ayuthaya’s Wat Ratburana (1424; Click here), Wat Chong Nonsi in Bangkok (1657–1707; Click here) and Phetchaburi’s Wat Yai Suwannaram (late 17th century).
Nineteenth-century religious painting has fared better. Ratanakosin temple art is, in fact, more highly esteemed for painting than for sculpture or architecture. Typical temple murals feature rich colours and lively detail. Some of the finest are found at the Buddhaisawan Chapel at Bangkok’s National Museum and at Thonburi’s Wat Suwannaram. For more information about Bangkok’s temple murals Click here.
The study and application of mural painting techniques have been kept alive, and today’s practitioners often use improved techniques and paints that promise to hold fast much longer than the temple murals of old.
Alongside the vivid murals in the sacred temple spaces are revered Buddha images that trace Thailand’s sculptural evolution. The country is most famous for its graceful and serene Buddhas that emerged during the Sukhothai era, and today the