THAILAND

- formerly Siam
is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is
bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia,
to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the
Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries
include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and
India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
- The country is a kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who has
reigned since 1946, making him the world's longest-serving current
head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.[6] The king
is officially titled Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, an
Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.
The largest city in Thailand is Bangkok, the capital, which is also the
country's center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.
THAI ART

Traditional Thai art is primarily composed of

Buddhist art. Traditional Thai sculpture almost
exclusively depicts images of the Buddha.
Traditional Thai paintings usually consist of book
illustrations, and painted ornamentation of
buildings such as palaces and temples.
  The Sukhothai period began in the
14th century in the Sukhothai kingdom.
Buddha images of the Sukhothai period are
elegant, with sinuous bodies and slender, oval
faces. This style emphasized the spiritual
aspect of the Buddha, by omitting many small
anatomical details. The effect was enhanced
by the common practice of casting images in
metal rather than carving them. This period
saw the introduction of the "walking Buddha"
pose.
 Sukhothai also produced a large quantity of
glazed ceramics in the Sawankhalok style,
which were traded throughout south-east Asia.

PHRA ACHANA, WAT SI CHUM, BIG BUDDHA IMAGE IN SUKHOTHAI

 Ayutthaya period
THE SURVIVING ART FROM THIS PERIOD WAS
PRIMARILY EXECUTED IN STONE, CHARACTERISED BY
JUXTAPOSED ROWS OF BUDDHA FIGURES. IN THE
MIDDLE PERIOD, SUKHOTHAI INFLUENCE DOMINATED,
WITH LARGE BRONZE OR BRICK AND STUCCO BUDDHA
IMAGES, AS WELL AS DECORATIONS OF GOLD LEAF IN
FREE-FORM DESIGNS ON A LACQUER BACKGROUND.
THE LATE PERIOD WAS MORE ELABORATE, WITH
BUDDHA IMAGES IN ROYAL ATTIRE, SET ON
DECORATIVEBASES.
 Bangkok period
THIS PERIOD IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AYUTTHAYA STYLE, RATHER
THAN BY MORE GREAT INNOVATION. ONE IMPORTANT
ELEMENT WAS THE KROM CHANG SIP MU
(ORGANIZATION OF THE TEN CRAFTS), ORIGINALLY
FOUNDED IN AYUTTHAYA, WHICH WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR IMPROVING THE SKILLS OF THE COUNTRY'S
CRAFTSMEN. PAINTINGS FROM THE MID-19TH
CENTURY SHOW THE INFLUENCE OF WESTERN ART.