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The Arts
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Sculpture
Thai sculptors of the past concentrated almost exclusively on
Buddha images, producing works that rank
among the world's greatest expressions
of Buddhist art. These have ranged
in size from Sukhothai's gigantic
seated Buddha at Wat Si Chum, which
measures 11 metres from knee to knee,
to tiny fingernail-sized Buddhas worn
as amulets. Their greatest achievements
were during the Sukhothai period, when
the smoothness and sheen of cast
metals perfectly matched the graceful,
elongated simplicity of the basic form.
To emphasize the spiritual qualities of
Buddhism, Thai sculptors eschewed
anatomical details such as muscles and
bone structure, realising that these would
only distract from the enigmatic serenily
that was their goal.
Thai sculpture received a boost in
1933 when an Italian sculplor, Corado
Feroci, founded the Fine Arts School
which in 1943 became Silpakorn
University. Having first arrived in
Thailand in 1924 to work with the Royal
Fine Arts Department on the creation of
monumental sculptures, Feroci is today
remembered as the father of modern art
in Thailand. He became a Thai citizen in
1944, changing his name to Silpa Bhirasri.
Corado Feroci, father of modern art in Thailand
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Many of his students have been
awarded with the status of "National
Artist". These include, for example,
Paitoon Muangsoomboon, Chit Rianpracha, and Punarn Moolpramook,
whose works have appeared in various
places. Another artist who is well-known
among Thais and abroad is Misiem
Yip-in-tsoi. She took up painting first and
then sculpture. Examples of her works,
many of which depict children, can be seen
in many private collections as well as in
several public parks and served as Dean of the Painting and
Sculpture Faculty until his death in 1962.
Modern sculptures by Misiem Yip-in-tsoi
Many modern Thai sculptors have
experimented with the artistic possibilities of
new methods borrowed from industrial technology to create works
both simple and incredibly complex in
meaning and effect. Others have taken objects
out of their ordinary environment and
turned them into arresting works of art.
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