Though the Thai independent history in Southeast Asia stretches back roughly only 1000 years, Thailand is exceptionally rich in many aspects of culture. Originally influenced by India, Sri Lanka and China, Siamese culture has evolved into something unique. A predominant position is occupied by architecture and sculptural art.
As was pointed out by the renowned Thai-Italian art professor Silpa Bhirasri in his essay on Thai Buddhist Art (published 1959 by the Thai Fine Arts Department), Indian colonies existed in Thailand from the beginning of the Buddhist era. For centuries these colonies influenced the less cultured peoples of Indochina, a process which went on for more than 1500 years. Afterwards, in the 13th century A.D. the Indian cultural expansion in Southeast Asia was checked by the Muslim invasion into India while Chinese power started to have an important ascendancy over the people of Indochina.
The Chinese influence found cultures already firmly established, some of them even having already ended their historical cycle. Thailand retained Indian culture, but because it emerged as an independent nation in the 13th century A.D. just when the Chinese political power started to play an important role, many features of Chinese art were adopted by Thai art, as for example in architecture, lacquer works, inlaid mother-of-pearl, porcelain, and to some extent mural paintings.
According to Professor Silpa Bhirasri (1892-1962), from the Indian culture sprang up those of Dvaravati (Mon people), Srivisaya (Indonesian), the Khmer empires and Burma. Historically, the cultures of these people, except the one of the Burmese, ran between the 5th and the 14th century A.D. Their religion was Hinayana or Mahayana Buddhism. Only the Khmer followed alternatively either Hinduism or Mahayana Buddhism.
Coming in contact with high civilizations, the animistic Thai adopted partially, if not totally, Buddhism. Thai art developed in fusion with that of the Mon, the Khmer and the Indonesians of the Srivisaya period. Burmese influence over the independent northern Thai states was extensive after the military conquests of King Anuruth and his pious and zealous spreading of Buddhism in the 11th century A.D. When the cultural and political cycles of the Dvaravati, Srivisaya and Khmer empires reached their stages of decline, the Thai became the direct inheritors.
From the 6th to the 10th century A.D. Mon Dvaravati art saw its apogee. Influenced by Gupta examples, it developed many local schools spreading over central and northeast Thailand. From the 10th to the 13th century it had its non-creative phase. Nakhon Pathom was the capital of the Mon empire, while Lavo (Lopburi), Suwannaphum (U Thong), and Lamphun were the principal towns.
From Chaiya, an important port of south Thailand at that time, Srivisaya culture spread to the north of Indochina. In Lamphun the overlapping of the Dvaravati, Srivisaya and Khmer arts is most noticeable. With reference to Srivisaya characteristics found in Lamphun and other northern towns, there are two theories: one is that the Srivisaya style was introduced in the north of Thailand by King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai in the 13th century A.D. after his conquest of the Malayan peninsula; the second theory is that Srivisaya art reached north Thailand in a much earlier period.
Considering the monuments with Srivisaya characteristics in northern localities and considering the fact that King Ramkhamhaeng had no political influence over those northern towns, one could possibly accept the two theories corresponding to two distinct waves of Srivisaya influence: the first since about the 9th or 10th century and the second in the 13th century.
Khmer art, which alternatively represented either Mahayana Buddhism or Hinduism, is found all over central and northeast Thailand. It dates back to a period of about 200 years, the 12th and the 13th century A.D. Khmer art had a great influence over Thai art, so much that when the Thai nation rose over the declining Khmer power, it inherited directly much of the Khmer culture.
Professor Silpa Bhirasri pointed out that considering the geographical position of Burma in respect to northern Thailand, one may understand how much the northern Thai art was influenced by that of Burma. Northern Thai statuary followed Buddha images of the Indian Pala art of the 8th to 12th century A.D. which reached Indochina via Burma.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand, in its brochure on special interest tourism, cited an unchallenged opinion, saying that for much of the country’s history the artistic impulse was largely religious, and the greatest achievements can be seen in the kingdom’s countless Buddhist monasteries and their adornments. The ancient capital of Sukhothai saw the emergence of the earliest styles that can be called distinctively Thai - for example the graceful lotus bud finial, a relatively small ornamental terminal feature at the top of gables, pinnacles and the like, which can still be seen on the ruins of many temples in the city.
Ayutthaya, which ruled for 400 years, was characterized by more elaborately decorated temples, and these were built well into the Rattanakosin, or Bangkok period, as can be seen in the dazzling structures of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
The classic decorations include magnificently carved wooden panels, used for gables, doors and windows; often they are inlaid with splendid mother-of-pearl decorations as well as glass mosaic; stucco is regularly embedded with multi-colored pieces of porcelain. On many temples, the interior walls are covered with intricate, densely populated mural paintings which depict the life of the Buddha or moralistic fables used in teaching Buddhist precepts.
In religious sculpture, too, Thai art has reached impressive peaks. The Sukhothai Buddha image with its combination of power and flowing grace is admired by scholars everywhere, while the bronze and stone creations of Ayutthaya, often of huge size, command artistic respect as well.
In addition to these monuments to faith, the Thai creative genius can be seen in other forms. Thai artisans in the Sukhothai period produced superbly glazed pottery, widely exported at the time and much prized by collectors today. Moreover countless items used in daily life - from water jars and baskets to spinning wheels and textiles - are distinguished by a beauty of design that lifts them into the category of true art, well worth contemporary appreciation.
Architecture
In Buddhism, second to the symbolic Stupa, the most important structure is the Chaiya Hall, in Thai called Bot or Ubosot. Here the monks meditate, study the Doctrine, ordain novices and perform all other ceremonies. The Bot must be spacious because it has to accommodate a congregation of one or two hundred monks.
Structurally, a wide span cannot be roofed with the Khmer vaulting system. The Khmer temples were formed by narrow corridors and by relatively small square cells; the former were vaulted with horizontal layers of stones while the sanctuary was covered with a tower-like structure originating from the Sikhara of the northern Indian temples: here, too, horizontal layers of stones were used.
In contrast, it was quite natural for the Thai to roof their larger halls with timber. And the halls had to be large because after Hinayana Buddhism had become the official religion of the kingdom of Sukhothai (1257 A.D.) Thai men retired in droves into monastic life.
This meant that not only a large number of monasteries needed to be built but also that each one needed to accommodate a large number of monks. As timber was easier to get than bricks or cut stone, the Thai shifted from the Khmer structures entirely built of stone to mixed structures for which wood was increasingly used.
Difference of materials engenders a difference of architectural style. This was the very cause from which the Thai style emerged. It was not due to any reaction against the Khmer art; in fact, for the sake of tradition the Thai retained many architectural features of the Khmer even when they were no longer constructive.
Among the materials used by the Thai in their religious structures, aside from cut stone and bricks, were wood, glass mosaics, gold leaf, porcelain, stucco, lacquer and mother-of-pearl.
Wood was not only used as a general material for building and the roofing of brick buildings but also extensively for ornamental and decorative parts. Wooden parts were then generally gilded and enriched with glass mosaics.
Glass mosaics in dark red, green, blue and violet were used to decorate gables, pillars and all other wooden and stucco ornaments.
Gold leaf was used to gild ornaments made either of wood or stucco, architectural moldings and lacquer designs.
Porcelain or glazed terra-cotta ornaments were used to decorate old temples. Later, especially in the Bangkok period, small different colored pieces of porcelain, often from broken vessels, were used to form ornamental patterns to enrich the surface of all kinds of brick structures.
Stucco was extensively used to enrich architectural molding, to model ornaments of window and door frames and to decorate gables when this decoration was not made in wood.
Lacquer was commonly used for the designs of window and door panels. The designs were often gilded while the background was left in black lacquer.
Mother-of-pearl was inlaid to decorate window and door panels.
For more information on temple architecture, go to Temple Architecture
Paintings
Paintings from pre-historic times were found in the Udon Thani and Kanchanaburi areas. These paintings are characterized by monochromatic stick figures in red earth tones done as frieze and usually depicting a domestic or hunting scheme. Sometimes, the paintings are engraved decorations on bronze drums and pots with intricate linear designs, mostly showing Chinese and Indian influences.
From the era of the Mons from 6th to 11th century, no paintings remain. Only foundations and few walls with traces of paint on edifices were found plus a number of incised geometric drawings on brick, ivory and stone.
From the 9th to 11th century, the few relics found are intimately related to stone materials. By the end of the 13th century, with the ascend of the Sukhothai kingdom, Thai forms of painting evolved alongside the development of sculpture and architecture. Painted works were done almost solely for religious purposes and designed to inspire only the pious. The artists began to develop a unique style of painting and drawing using stone, brick and metal.
According to written sources, paintings were also done on Chinese cloth and incorporated with Chinese motifs; however such paintings were not preserved and only those which were engraved in metal and stone remained.
Many of the remaining engravings depict humans and animals with overemphasized torsos before floral backgrounds. One of the remaining paintings of the Sukhothai era can be found at the Wat Chedi Jetteo illustrating a Buddha in a reclining posture; it’s on a plaster surface and in black, white and red colors.
Thai paintings from the 16th century onward are characterized by divine or royal personages in gestures, postures, costumes and jewelries similar to what can be seen in classical Thai theater. Practically all paintings were done as murals, not on canvas. A result of this particularity has been that paintings could not be preserved when buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Floral Arrangements
The term arrangement, though often used, could be misleading to a Westerner, implying as it does a more or less natural configuration. The Thai achievement, on the other hand, is actually to turn flowers into beautiful objects that have no counterpart in nature but rather proudly proclaim the artistic skills of man.
Such creations can be roughly divided into three general groups. The first consists of those made by the Roi method, which means that the flowers are threaded into garlands of many types. Mostly used are colorful mixtures of jasmine, roses and other flowers. These garlands are sold outside almost every temple and shrine and they serve as offerings. Sometimes garlands are hung at the windows and doors of homes or suspended like chandeliers from the ceiling.
Second there are the Chat Phan, or bowl arrangements, which are much more elaborate. As Chat Phan, the flowers are embedded in or sewn over a mound of damp clay or sand. Traditionally in a rounded pyramidal shape resembling a lotus bud, these are among the most beautiful examples of floral art, often in dazzling geometric patterns that might easily be mistaken for multicolored porcelain.
The third group involves deftly folded banana leaves in often fantastic shapes, used in many traditional Thai ceremonies. Known as Bai Si they are found in every region of Thailand though in different designs. One kind, for example, known as Bai Si Pak Cham, has a central banana leaf cone filled with cooked rice and surmounted by a hard boiled egg, which is sometimes further adorned with a jasmine crown; surrounding this center piece are other elongated cones decorated with various flowers.
This extraordinary structure is placed in spirit houses to inspire good fortune or sometimes given as a token of respect by a student to his teacher.
Requiring both skill and aesthetic sense, such floral creations are an integral part of Thai culture, still as vividly alive today as they have been throughout the kingdom’s history.
Performing Arts
Khon stories are derived from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana, an epic account in lyrical verse of the triumph of good over evil. The hero is Phra Ram, whose consort Nang Sida is abducted by the wicked King Thotsakan of Longka; the lengthy drama recounts the ultimately successful efforts of Phra Ram and his brother Phra Lak, assisted by the clever monkey-god Hanuman, to rescue her.
All the characters in Khon performances wear ornate costumes, glittering with gold braid and jewels; many also wear magnificent papier-mache masks that reflect the personalities of their roles. The story is told largely through stylized gestures and postures, once considered so strenuous that in the old days all performers were men.
Today only excerpts from the full Khon drama are shown, sometimes at the National Theater but more often at several Thai-style restaurants catering to tourists. Performers now are both men and women.
Lakhon and Likay are popular derivatives of Khon, employing no masks but using similar costumes and movements to express emotions. The former is danced mostly by women. A special kind of Lakhon called Lakhon Chatri can be seen regularly at popular shrines, where troupes are hired to perform by suppliants. Likay, seen at many festivals and temple fairs, is a sort of burlesque combining social satire and low comedy.
Another form of traditional Thai theater is the shadow-play, now fairly rare except in the far South. The most popular version, still performed at southern festivals, is Nang Talung, in which the figures, made of cowhide, often have moveable parts and are manipulated with thin sticks.
All forms of theater in Thailand, as well as boxing matches, are accompanied by music, usually a traditional orchestra playing drums, cymbals, xylophones, flutes, and a three-stringed instrument known as So Sam Sai, which produces tunes of haunting poignancy.
Museums
- National Museum: