MODERN ART IN THAILAND
By PROFESSOR SILPA BIRASRI
The purpose of this pamphlet is to state the principal factors
which determined the decline of the classic Thai art and the
recent revival of art with modern characteristics.
We have tried to be as objective as possible but, of course,
in dealing with an alive manifestation of our actual culture
we touch sentimental feelings which easily endanger a proper
judgment of real facts. Nevertheless, we hope that this
brief writing will be of some use to people from abroad
interested in Thai intellectual expressions.
Each time the general conditions of people change according
to cultural, social or
economic reasons, art undergoes first a period of transition
and later it follows completely the spirit of the new social
development . The departure from traditional art to new
expressions is the moment for hot discussions and friction
arising between those who are anxious to preserve tradition
and those who wish to do what they feel towards the new
trend. This friction disturbs the tranquility of the Temple
of Art but it is unavoidable. Therefore, to judge objectively
about this dualism of ideas we have to trace the causes
for which young Thai artists prefer to express themselves
in a modern way rather than repeat conventional forms. Many
Thai in these days are so anxious to preserve their traditional
style that they tend to be strongly prejudiced against any
new form of art. This prejudice makes them altogether passive
to the efforts and remarkable achievements obtained by the
young Thai artists in this last decade. On the other hand,
many foreigners, visitors of Bangkok, are rightly so impressed
by the beauty of old Thai art that they inquire why we do
not encourage traditional art instead of siding with those
young artists who strive to create something new and individual,
Under this aspect we cannot help to say that such idea is
rather partial- in all western countries classic art has
been abandoned because it fails to correspond to the modern
intellectual necessities-in those countries nobody seems
to be alarmed about this fact because it is natural development
of modern life. Thus, we would like to know the reasons
why an eastern artist should not express himself in art
with sincerity as others do.
People who for a long period of study appreciate old Thai
art in its great value and beauty know too well that, since
many decades, traditional Thai art had reached that point
of exhaustion from which creative production is no more
possible-at such a point only the repetition of stereotyped
figures are permitted by the limited boundary of conventionalism.
Let us study the principal reasons why art has deviated
from its traditional character. We may state at large that
what art has experienced in Thailand during the last twenty
years, Europe experienced eighty or ninety years ago, when
modern art started to replace classicism. There, like here,
science and machinery engendered a new system of life -
the sequence was a radical change in economy and hence the
subsequent change of habits of the people. Speed and communications
brought people of the world closer, effected reciprocity
and mergence of their cultures.
So it was in Europe, so it was in Thailand, so in all
countries which adopted a universal understanding. There
are people who attempt to modernize national forms, making
any sort of acrobatics to appear new in accordance with
our age, but in general this production has not the power
to stimulate anything lofty, because it is not a true emotive
creation
Let us resume our study on Thailand. Like all classic
arts we may divide Thai art into major and minor arts. Major
Art: Religious structures, Buddha statues, mural paintings.
The construction of Wats and the casting of Buddha-images,
more than anything else, were the greatest ambition of every
Thai king, members of royalty and other noble men. The Wat,
besides to enshrine statues of Buddha made either in bronze
or in stucco, had to be decorated with mural paintings as
well as wood cavings and lacquer works. Accordingly the
Wat was the highest expression of the Thai for about eight
hundred years. Minor Art: Objects of minor art for
general use such as jewelry,
niello, embossed silver,
textile,
lacquer
works and pottery,
were in the past in great demand by the Thai people.
About sixty years ago Thailand started to adopt the modern
western organisation which implied also a new economic system.
Consequently the funds of the revenue which in the past
were largely used for religious artistic purposes, under
the new system had to be distributed for public buildings,
roads, railways, irrigation, etc. Besides the economic factor
, in that time the majority of the buildings were planned
in western style by foreign architects. Imported European
objects of minor art were preferred for their novelty to
those made in Thai style. This meant an almost abrupt end
of Wat building and of the activity in making works of minor
art. In respect to the latter, once the appeal for novelty
of European objects was over, the economic matter came to
interfere with the resumption of doing again objects of
art in Thai style as fine as those done in the past.
Any connoiseur of Thai art knows that the execution of
an object of art in old style requires a considerable time-finesse
of drawing and perfect accuracy of execution are indispensable
to approach the fine standard of the old specimens. Unfortunately
nowadays time means money, that is to say, the cost of very
finely executed objects of art would be so high that the
demand would be extremely limited. This limitation would
handicap the rebirth and possible existence of a school
of talented artisans. Thus in our days the financial factor
renders impossible a standard of execution of objects of
minor art as high as in the past.
The art of Buddha casting which in the past was a glory
of the Thai art became also a matter of mere commerce with
the most disappointing artistic result. The beautiful old
Thai painting was badly affecedt by the influence of western
painting losing its fine and beautiful peculiarities.
This sketch of the regrettable art-situation which lasted
for about five decades, and just when the artistic activity
in Thailand was mostly in the hands of foreign artists,
should impress upon the reader, the importance of the revival
of art realized by the talent of the generation born during
or after the first World War. War is terrific and horrible
but in the instance of the first World War, it stirred the
people far away from Europe and America to progress. Principally
it was education which opened the mind and widened the purpose
of life this modern generation.
A wide gap divides the elder from the younger Thai generation
and this not for lack of veneration on the side of the young
people towards their elders but in consequence of the evolution
of life.
The elder Thai lived in that contemplative life which
a wonderful dreaming nature had formed during so many centuries.
The appearing words of Lord Buddha were their spiritual
support. Hence that spiritual and so delicate art of the
past.
Any person who compares the existence of those old folk
with the dynamic life of modern Thai cannot sincerely expect
from an artist of our age to get inspiration form a world
which does not exist any more. Any honest artist would refuse
to do so.
Only for commercial purposes old forms can be repeated
in all countries, because foreigners are reciprocally attracted
by exotic art. In fact a Thai visiting Florence will certainly
buy some leather work decorated with ornaments in Renaissance
style, or buy jewelry in old Florentine style, While a Florentine
passing through Bangkok will buy some Thai nielloware or
some painting reproducing Thai
dancers. But although this kind of art is very nice
looking and also necessary for our daily aesthetic pleasure,
it must not be confused with what is referred to as creative
art, that is to say the free expression of the artists'
soul.
We should not misunderstand traditional art for traditional
spirit. To do
traditional artmeans to repeat a certain style of the
past, while traditional spirit means to transmit in a work
something individually proper to a race. Accordingly, although
the young Thai artists live a universal life, their production
is essentially Thai- Thai, of course, in representation
of human figures, Thai in traditional spirit. Indeed the
art of each people is imbued with a proper character due
to atavism and due to that complexity of factors which determine
the peculiarities of the people.
To explain our idea more practically we illustrate with
fig. 1, a particular of an old mural painting and with fig.
2, a modern statuette made by Khien Yimsiri. By comparing
the outline of the old and modern figures we note their
strict relationship. This relationship was not looked for
by the Thai sculptor, it came by itself through that atavistic
feeling already mentioned.
Certainly, one cannot expect to find in all the works
of the Thai modern artists the same relationship with old
specimens as quoted above. When for instance, a Thai painter
is touched by the beauty of a landscape and paints it according
to the sensation he receives from nature, his work has no
relationship with sceneries painted in the old time because
the were merely conventional.
With reference to landscapes, remarks have been made that
the Thai painters are influenced by the western impressionism.
In such respect we would like to say that the Thai painters
have a natural style, they do what they see and what they
feel. If they succeed in rendering every part related to
others and the whole to space, and succeed in conveying
the atmosphere and light of Thailand, then they have succeeded
in their artistic aspiration. If not, the work is considered
a failure, for lack of artistic value and not because the
painter imitated any foreign school.
Again, a sculptor modelling a portrait has no chance to
link the character of his work with that of the past for
the simple reason the in old time Thai statuary was limited
to modelling Buddha images. Besides, we have also to realise
that real art is an individual expression and as such it
corresponds to the personal style of each artist. This style
may be realistic, impressionistic, may be that of cubism,
conventionalism or anything else. It is not the style with
which we express our feeling that counts in art, it is that
abstract quality conveying the essence of the Spirit a work
of art is pregnated and which humanises Humanity.
ART TRAINING IN THAILAND
