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The art of Siam. 14th-19th centuries The ancestral homeland of the Thais is southern China, from where they began to migrate south-westwards and westwards as early as the 4th-6th centuries. No. later than the 10th century they appeared in the Far North of Indochina and, gradually moving southward along the river valleys, by the late 13th century they reached the south of the peninsula. Here, in the 13th-15th centuries, they became assimilated with the peoples who had previously inhabited this territory and Siamese culture absorbed many elements of the more advanced hinduized cultures of their predecessors that had arisen from the Indian religions, one of which was Buddhism. Mediaeval Siamese art reflected the ideas of Theravada Buddhism. The distinctive character of Thai (Siamese) Buddhism lay in its ethical orientation, the pursuit of bun - "religious merit" that improves the believer's karma. One common form of bun was the creation (by one's own hands or by commissioning) of sculptures of the Buddha that were presented to a temple. As a result of this practice, Thai temples came to house enormous numbers of depictions of the Buddha, up to several thousand in some cases. It is not for nothing that the number of portrayals of the Buddha in present-day Thailand exceeds the country's population. Not surprisingly, the image of the Buddha Shakyamuni became central and dominant in Siamese (Thai) art. As art developed in Siam its iconography expanded and grew more complex, but the most popular iconographical type for over 700 years was (and remains) the Buddha bhumisparshamudra (the "Buddha calling on the earth to bear witness"), which from the 15th century onwards people began to call Buddha Maravijaya (the "Buddha who vanquished Mara"). This depicts a key moment in the process by which the earthly prince Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha - a being that had discovered the Sublime Wisdom. For the followers of Theravada this episode encapsulated the entire truth of this teaching. The first actual Thai state, Sukhothai, was founded in the mid-13th century and existed as an independent political entity for just over a hundred years, until 1378, when it became a vassal territory to another large Thai state, Ayutthaya (1350-1767), before in 1438 Sukhothai was absorbed completely by its rival. However, the influence of the cultural traditions of Sukhothai, which had created a unique artistic style, greatly outlasted its political history and made itself felt in mediaeval Siam right up to the late 19th century. One of the most distinctive styles of Buddhist art in Asia was created in Sukhothai. In the art of other countries the Buddha is a fairly material, tangible image. In the finest creations of Sukhothai craftsmen the Buddha does not walk, but somehow floats; he does not sit, but rather hovers in the air; and one senses neither the volume nor the weight of the material in the statue. The Sukhothai sculptures are marked by an astonishing spirituality, a refinement, even a certain femininity in the portrayal; all the lines are smooth and flowing; there are practically no sharp angles in the general outline (No. 1). The texture of bronze, the preferred material of the time, made it possible to achieve perfectly flowing lines and a perfectly smooth surface. The Sukhothai sculptors were the first in Asia to begin depicting the Buddha in all four canonical poses - seated, standing, walking and reclining, and the creation of the iconography of the Walking Buddha is the highpoint not only of Sukhothai art, but indeed of Siamese art as a whole (No. 2). As in all hinduized countries, the sculptors made use of a language of symbolic gestures - mudra. A combination of pose and gesture pointed to one particular episode in the life of the Buddha, some particular aspect of doctrine. Distinctive originality characterizes the art of the Thais of the Far North, where the state called Lanna existed from the late 13th century to the late 18th. Here too the Buddha Maravijaya was exceptionally popular (No. 3). But the northern Buddhist iconography is more varied than that of Sukhothai. A common feature are sculptures of the Crowned Buddha, i.e. a Buddha wearing a crown and royal adornments (No. 4). Additionally, here one can find scenes of the mahaparinirvana, depictions of monks and disciples of the Buddha and of kneeling donors (No. 5). Only in the north was there a tradition of covering sculpture with various combinations of red and black lacquer and gold. In the 14th-17th centuries, as a consequence of the gradual consolidation of the Thai lands around the rulers of Ayutthaya, a single set of religious institutions and standards were worked out for the whole country. A single nationwide style of art spread (except to the Far North), which swallowed up the local schools and developed an austere restrained look for works of art. In Ayutthaya art the image of the crowned Buddha took on a truly state significance (No. 6). Many depictions appeared of inferior members of the pantheon -celestial beings, adorers and fantastic creatures. In this period new, previously unknown gestures and poses appeared that are associated with different episodes in the life of the Buddha. The old classical gestures were reinterpreted and invested with new meaning. The abhayamudra gesture, for example, was now given a new significance each time, depending on which hand was performing it (Nos 6, 7). Ayutthaya art was restrained, somewhat cold in style. Gradually the decorative aspect became increasingly strong within it (No. 8). The last phase in the mediaeval art of Siam is the art of Bangkok (from the late 18th century). It is connected with the coming to power of the new Chakri dynasty that still reigns today. The first kings of Bangkok strove to preserve and continue the traditions of Ayutthaya, especially in culture and art. The art of Bangkok would become the logical culmination of tendencies evident in late Ayutthaya art: the depictions gradually grow dry and lifeless; they are covered completely with gilding from top to bottom and even the Buddha's monastic robe is given decorative treatment (No. 9). At the same time various episodes in the life of the Buddha that were formerly depicted rarely or not at all now became quite common. Olga Deshpande |
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