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Lanna Art & Architecture
Chiang Mai was built more than 700 years ago, so can you imagine how great of city, culture, art and architecture. And people here very good in art, they can produce very nice and unique things that you can not find in the rest of the world. |
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Northern Thailand produced the nation's first identifiably Thai art during the Sukhothai and Lanna periods, as the newly empowered Thais blended their own ideas with the grand religious architecture of the Mon and Khmer cultures. While similar innovations took place in other parts of Thailand in succeeding eras, Thai art historians agree that none distinguished themselves quite as much as those of the North.
Northern Thai art of the past, as well as the present, owes its character to a blending of many influences. Along with the Mon art of Hariphtmchai, absorbed when Phaya Mang Rai annexed the kingdom to Lanna Thai. Northern Thailand benefited from a constant influx of peoples from neighbouring China, Myanmar and Laos, not to mention indigenous groups such as the Lawa. Other Thai-speaking ethnicities, particu larly the Thai LU and Thai Yai (Shan), also affected the development of Northern Thai art.
The Lanna Art demonstrates the continuation with the art before the Lanna Period or Chiang Saen'. The art in this period started its formation since the time of King Meng Rai the Great, who was the 25th king of the Lao Dynasty in 1261 AD. The city of Nopburi Sri Nakhon Ping Chiang Mai was the capital in 1296 AD. The study in the field of art history reveals that the Lanna Art can be divided into 4 periods. They are 1st Period-the Establishment of the Kingdom (1261-1355 AD), 2nd Period-the Prosperity of the Kingdom (1355-1547 AD), 3rd Period-the Burmese Colonial State (1558-1774 AD) and 4th Period-the Thai Colonial State (1774-1939 AD).
The upper northern area of Thailand is the center of different families of artisans, which has been affected by the political and environmental realms. Thus, the Lanna Art can be divided into the following artisan families:
>1. The artisan family from the capital of Chiangmai (13th-20th centuries AD),
>2. The Chiang Saen artisan family of Lanna period (14th-18th centuries AD),
>3. The Chai Prakarn and Fang artisan families (15th-18th centuries AD),
>4. The Nan artisan family (14th-19th centuries AD),
>5. The Haripunchai Artisan family of Lanna period (14th-18th centuries AD),
>6. The Phrae and Lampang artisan families (15th -18th centuries AD) and
>7. The Phayao artisan family (15th-18th centuries AD),
Therefore, the Lanna Art, the northern art of Thailand, is relatively difficult to classify in comparison with the arts from different smaller kingdoms within the Thai Kingdom.
Traditional Architecture
Largely due to firmly held animist-Buddhist beliefs, traditional home and temple archi tecture in Northern Thailand followed strict rules of design that dictated proportion, placement, materials and ornamentation.
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Traditional Northern Thai residential architecture consists of single-room wooden houses raised on stilts and of more elaborates structures of interlocking rooms with both indoor and shaded outdoor spaces; all supported at least 2m above the ground on stilts. Since originally all Thai settlements were founded along river or canal banks, the use of stilts protected the house and its inhabitants from flooding during the annual monsoon. Even in areas where flooding wasn't common, the North ern Thais continued to raise their homes on stilts, using the space beneath the house as a cooking area, for tethering animals, or for parking their bicycles and motor vehicles. Teak has always been the material of choice for wooden structures, although with the shortage of teak in Thailand nowadays few houses less than 50 years old are con structed of teak.
Rooflines in Northern Thailand are steeply pitched and often decorated at the corners or along the bargeboards with motifs related to the naga (mythical sea serpent), long believed to be a spiritual protector of Thai-speaking cultures throughout Asia. Where bargeboards meet at the roof gable, they often cross to form an `X' motif called ka-lae, one of the most readily recognizable features of the Northern Thai house and one that probably comes from the Lawa tradition. Khon Meuang often carves the ka-lae into elaborate flowing patterns.
Of course, other groups living in North ern Thailand have their own ways of de signing and building homes. Among the Hmong-Mien and Mon-Khmer tribes living mostly at well-drained higher elevations, stilts have never been necessary and the raised wooden floor is forsaken for a dirt floor covered by walls of bamboo and palm thatch. The Jin Haw (Chinese Muslims), meanwhile, traditionally built their houses of air-dried brick, a legacy of rural archi tecture in Yunnan, China. Nowadays few Jin Haw build their homes in this way, pre ferring to use modern house plans.
In the larger, older cities such as Chiang Mai, Lampang and Phrae, it is possible to see grander buildings with elaborate multi room plans, built in the 18th or 19th cen turies and often mixing European and Thai design motifs. In neighbouring countries that endured French, Portuguese or British rule, such architecture is often referred to as `colonial'.
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Temple Architecture
Technically speaking,
a wat (from the Pali Sanskrit
avasa, `dwelling for pupils and as cetics') is a Buddhist compound where men or women can be ordained as monks or nuns. Virtually every Thai-speaking village in Northern Thailand has at least one wat, while in towns and cities wat are quite
numerous. Without an ordination area (desig nated by stone ordination-precinct markers called sehmaa), or a monastic centre where monks or nuns reside is simply a samnak song (residence for monks). The latter are often established as meditation retreat fa cilities in forest areas, sometimes in conjunction with larger wat paa (forest monasteries).
The typical wat compound in Thailand will contain at the very least an uposatha (Northern Thai: sim), a consecrated chapel where monastic ordinations are held, and a vihara (Thai: wihaan), where important Buddha images are housed. Classic Northern Thai wihaan and sim differ from their Central Thai counterparts in several ways. Firstly, the walls tend to be more solid -looking, mainly because windows tend to be smaller (more suited to the cooler North ern climate). Secondly, the three-tiered roof system tends to be more steeply pitched, and the roof eaves sweep closer to the ground, creating a dramatic effect. Partial fourth and fifth tiers often include shade porticoes at the front of the building. In Northern Thai wat the sim will almost al ways be much smaller than the wihaan, while in Central Thailand they are often e qual or nearly equal in size.
Decorative motifs inside and outside temple structures are often unique to Northern Thailand. In particular, Northern Thai temple sim and wihaan tend to feature a mythical serpent-like creature with a dragon's head - called naga in Pali Sanskrit, naak in Thai - on the ends of the bargeboards, at the top of the gables and in stucco reliefs over doors and gateways.
Next to the wihaan, stands the compound's principle chedi or jedi (from the Pali chetiya), also known by the more generic term 'stupa', a solid cone-shaped monument that pays trib ute to the enduring stability of Buddhism. The classic Northern Thai-style chedi fea tures an elaborate octagonal base and a geo metric dome with reticulated corners. Many chedi are believed to contain `relics' (dhatu in Pali-Sanskrit; pieces of bone or monastic pos sessions) belonging to the historical Buddha. Such chedi are usually called thaat, the Thai pronunciation of 'dhatu'.
Other structures typically found in wat compounds include: one or more saalaa (open-sided shelters for community meet ings and Dhamma lectures); a number of kuti (monastic quarters); a haw trai (Tripitaka library where Buddhist scriptures are stored); a haw klawng (drum tower), some times with a haw rakhang (bell tower); vari ous other chedi or stupas (the smaller squarish stupas are thaat kraduuk, bone reli quaries, where the ashes of deceased wor shippers are interred); plus various ancillary buildings - such as schools or clinics - that
differ from wat to wat according to local community needs. Many wat also have a haw phii wat (spirit house) for the temple's reigning earth spirit.
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Historical Parks
Since 1981, the Thai government has made the restoration of nine key archaeological sites part of its na tional economic development plan. As a re sult, the Fine Arts Department, under the Ministry of Education, has developed nine historical parks
(uthayaan prawattisaat), which in Northern Thailand include the fol lowing: Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park in Kamphaeng Phet Province; Si Thep Historical Park in Phetchabun Province; and Sukhothai Historical Park and Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park in Sukhothai Province.
These parks are administered by the Fine Arts Department to guard against theft and vandalism. Unesco has declared the ruins at Kamphaeng Phet, Si Satchanalai-Chaliang and Sukhothai as World Heritage Sites, which makes them eligible for UN funds and/or expertise in future restoration projects.
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Contemporary Architecture
Modern Northern Thai architects are not nearly as daring as their Bangkok counterparts. Thais began mixing traditional Thai with European forms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as exemplified by any number of older residences and shop houses in the North's provincial capitals, particu larly Chiang Mai, Nan and Phrae. This style is referred to as 'Ratanakosin', even though that style is often thought of as belonging only to Bangkok.
Shop houses throughout the country, whether they're 100 years or 100 days old, share the basic Chinese shophouse (hawng thaew) design where the ground floor is re served for trading purposes while the upper floors contain offices or residences.
During most of the post-WWII era, the trend in modern Thai architecture - in spired by the European Bauhaus movement - was towards a boring functionalism (the average building looked like a giant egg carton turned on its side). The Thai aes thetic, so vibrant in prewar eras, almost en tirely disappeared in this characterless style of architecture.
More recently, a handful of rebellious ar chitects have begun reincorporating tradi tional Thai motifs - mixed with updated Western classics - in new buildings. The Regent Chiang Mai Resort & Spa (see Places to Stay in the Chiangmai chapter) in Mae Rim is a good example.
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Sculpture
Although Northern Thailand as a region hasn't produced any individually world famous classical or modern sculptors, within the realm of Buddhist art Northern Thai work is well known and well appreci ated internationally.
Historically the most commonly sculpted materials have been wood, stone, ivory, clay and metal. Depending on the material, artisans use a variety of techniques including carving, modelling, construction and casting - to achieve their designs.
Northern Thailand 's most famous sculptural output has been its bronze Buddha im ages, coveted the world over for their originality and grace. Bronze Buddhas from Sukhothai and from Chiang Saen garner spe cial praise. Sukhothai Buddhas, whether sitting, standing, walking or lying, are known for their placid, `boneless' look. Chiang Saen Buddhas, on the other hand, are stolid and heroic looking. Nowadays historic bronzes have all but disappeared from the art market in Thailand. Most are zealously protected by temples, museums or private collectors.
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Traditional Painting
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As with sculpture, Northern Thai painting traditions were mostly confined to religious art, in which the application of natural pig ments to temple walls became the favored medium. Unlike the gold-brocaded, brightly painted and richly detailed murals of Central Thai wihaan, the Northern Thai works tend to contain softer, lighter colours, stronger lines and less detail. Always instructional in intent, such painted images ranged from the elaborate depiction of the
jataka (stories of the Buddha's past lives) to simple scenes of daily life in Northern Thailand. Gold leaf is u sually not used in the paintings; although a technique called
laai kham (gold design) fills in wall space with gold-stencilled patterns.
Since painting lacks the durability of other art forms, there are very few surviv ing examples of pre-20th century religious painting. However, the study and applica tion of mural painting techniques have been kept very much alive in the North.
See the special section 'Lanna-Style Temple Murals' for further detail on North ern Thai temple paintings.
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Contemporary Painting
The beginnings of Thailand's modern art movement are usually attributed to Italian artist Corrado Feroci, who was first invited to Thailand by Rama VI in 1924. Feroci's design of Bangkok's Democracy Monument was inspired by Italy's Fascist art movement of the 1930s. He also created the bronze statue of Rama I that stands at the entry to Memorial Bridge, and several mon uments around the city of Bangkok. In 1933 Feroci founded the country's first fine arts institute, a school that eventually developed into Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand 's premier training ground for artists. In gratitude, the Thai government gave Feroci the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri.
Today contemporary Thai painting is exhibited at a number of Chiang Mai venues. One of the most important modern movements in Thai art was an updating of Buddhist themes, begun in the 1970s by painters Pichai Nirand, Prateung Emjaroen and Chiang Mai resident Thawan Duchanee. The movement has grown stronger since their early efforts to combine modern Western schemata and Thai motifs.
Other important venues and sources of support for modern art are Northern Thailand 's few luxury hotels, such as the Westin Chiang Mai, Regent Chiangmai, Rim Kok Resort, Dusit Island Resort and Le Meridian Baan Boran.
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