Thai traditional arts are strongly influenced by Buddhism and feature distinctive architectural styles, crafts, paintings, carvings, and sculptures. Woodworking, lacquering, plastering, and other crafts are an important part of Thai culture. Traditional Thai music and dance vary by region but are graceful performances that have been influenced by neighboring cultures like China, India, and Cambodia over centuries. Contemporary Thai art now incorporates modern styles as well.

1. Thailand
Visual and performing arts
samith senadeera

2. Introduction
• Thai traditional arts have numerous distinctive qualities which make them
easily distinguishable from those of other neighboring countries in South-
East Asia.
• Thai art mainly deals with Buddhist religion and is known as Buddhist
art, which formed the national ideal and conception of life.
• In ancient times up to the early modern period in Thailand, Thai craftsmen
were considered the "true artists". They were thought to possess superior
intellect, a full understanding of culture and a wide ranging wisdom.
• At present the contemporary art scene in Thailand is centered around its
capital – Bangkok

3. Manual Arts
Architecture
• Thai architectural style is unique and very memorable.
• Traditional Thai architecture is the result of a combination of
many different styles, methods and influences from the
cultures of Burma, China, Khmer, India and Sri Lanka.
• Most noticeable in Thai architecture are the swooping multi-
tiered rooflines, the distinctly ornamental decorations, the
stunning interior murals, the vivid colors and the lovingly
crafted and gold-adorned Buddha images.
There are 3 main categories : Religious Architecture
Traditional Architecture
Royal Architecture

4. 1.Religious Architecture
• Essentially, there are five different historical periods where
significant changes can be seen in the various religious
architecture styles.
 Khmer (9th to 13th Century)
 Sukhothai (Mid 13th to 15th Centuries)
 Ayutthaya (Mid 14th to late 18th Centuries)
 Lanna (Mid 13th to 19th Centuries)
 Rattanakosin (Late 18th Century to present)
• Regardless of historical period, the most important area of
religious architecture is the Thai temple or wat.

5. 2.Traditional Architecture
• The traditional Thai house is well adapted to the tropical
climate
• The main materials used, such as hardwoods, bamboo and
dried leaves assist in keeping the house cool.
• It is thought that the overall design also reflects spiritual
beliefs. The bedroom, or the innermost area of the house
used as the sleeping quarters, is believed to be frequented
by family ancestors.
• Nowadays the traditional Thai house is mostly found in rural
settings or 'up-country' and the majority are the more modest
versions.

6. 3.Royal Architecture
• Appropriately named royal architecture relates mainly to
royal palaces, royal mansions and other royal residential
and non-residential working buildings, as well as royal
wats known as 'Wat Luang'.
• Teak wood is the main structural material of such
buildings, giving them their distinctive rich red color. The
doors and windows usually have ornate pediments and
frames, which are sometimes decorated in gilt bronze.

7. Crafts
• The Thai phrase "chang sip mu“ is used to describe a
craftsman in Thailand
• With sklls that are passed down for generations, the art of Thai
crafts has long been a reflection of Thai people's creativity and
ingenuity.
• The intricate detail and meticulous methods is a display of
inventiveness, and the elaborate designs proof of
perseverance.
• Moreover, the abundance of natural materials such as wicker,
palm leaves, rattan and coconuts make it possible for Thais to
produce beautiful and inexpensive handicrafts.

8. Drawing
• Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two
dimensions without perspective.
• The size of each element in the picture reflected its degree
of importance.
• The most frequent narrative subjects for paintings were or
are: the Jataka stories, episodes from the life of the Buddha,
the Buddhist heavens and hells, and scenes of daily life.
• Traditional Thai art can be seen in museums and temples,
palaces and theaters, or in the living culture and day-to-day
activities of the Thai people themselves

9. Wood Carving
• Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a
cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool),
resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract
in nature) or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden
object.
• Mostly, teak has been used for carving as, unlike nowadays,
it used to grow in abundance in Thailand.
• Wood-carving is done in two styles
• bas-relief
• free-standing

10. Fruit carving
• In Thailand, fruit carving is a traditional and highly cultivated
art.
• The decoration of food and correct use of serving dishes is
of utmost importance in Royal Thai Cuisine. Thus no
account of Thai food can be complete without mention of
the importance given to food and meal presentation.
• The ingenuity of all Thai palace crafts and cooking lies in
the artists' attempt to create natural and realistic
masterpieces.

11. Sculpting
• Thai sculptors of the past concentrated almost
exclusively on Buddha images, producing works that rank
among the world's greatest expressions of Buddhist art.
• Thai sculpture received a boost in 1933 when an Italian
sculptor, Corado Feroci founded the Fine Arts School
which in 1943 became Silpakorn University.

12. Lacquering
• Lacquering is the art of coating things like leaves of doors
and windows in black lacquer and gilding them with gold leaf.
• Examples of this craft technique are book cabinets holding
Buddhist scriptures and door leaves of many Buddhist
temples.
• Lacquer, or 'rak' in Thai, is the resin of a plant in the same
family as the cashew nut. This resin is irritating and can
cause a severe rash on the skin. Consequently, some people
who are allergic to it will not be able to do the job. The
process of lacquering is complicated and painstaking. It
usually takes up to three or four months to complete such a
work of art

13. Molding
• Molding also known as coving (UK, Australia) is a strip of
material with various profiles used to cover transitions
between surfaces or for decoration.
• It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but
may be made from plastic or reformed wood.
• In classical architecture and sculpture, the moulding is often
carved in marble or other stones.

14. Plastering
• Plasterwork refers to construction or ornamentation done
with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior wall or
plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is
also sometimes called pargeting. The process of creating
plasterwork, called plastering, has been used in building
construction for centuries.

15. Thai Modern Art
• Thai modern art started around 1924, when Corrado
Feroci, an Italian sculptor was invited to Thailand by King
Rama VI ( 1910-1925).
• He produced bronze statues of the exploits of Thailand’s
past heroes.
• Thai painters began experimenting with Impressionism
and Cubism to a lesser extent. Thai painters chose
nature themes or depicted rural scenes, usually devoid of
people. Angkarn Kalayanapongsa, Misiem Yipintsoi and
Tawan Duchanee led Thai modern art into
different forms of art than seen in Thailand to that time.

16. Music
• The Thai people have always had a passion for music and
song since music is closely related to the life and work of
the people
• Traditional Thai music is quite unique and cannot be found
anywhere else in the world.
• Its exotic and wondrous sounds captivate and sometimes
confound the listener. Not unlike western sounds, Thai
music has several styles representative of different regions
of the country.
• Thailand's musical styles include Thai classical music, folk
songs and local or regional music.

17. Dance
• The Thai Dance is a graceful and interpretative
performance.
• It has played an indispensable part of Thai life from
historical times to the present day.
• Thai dance is closely intertwined with the beliefs, traditions
and customs.
• It has been kept alive through royal patronage in a
continuous line of succession through the Sukhothai,
Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods.
• Thai dance may be divided into two major styles: folk dance
('rabam phun muang') and classical dance ('natasin').
• Each of the four regions of Thailand has its own folk dances
• northern dances- elegant ,graceful .
• South and Northeast- active and fun-filled,
• Central and eastern- linked to the agrarian lifestyles