|
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
Lanna Buddhist Art: An Inspiration for “Serenity” The Lanna region of northern Thailand has a rich cultural history, much of it Buddhist in origin. The city of Chiang Mai, founded some seven centuries ago, is surrounded by walls that form a square measuring roughly two kilometers on a side, and within these walls, there are some 37 Buddhist temples. This means that virtually every street corner affords a view of a temple or a chedi. The density of these religious structures is clear evidence of the central role that Buddhism has traditionally played in the lives of people in the North. On every Buddhist holy day, on the eighth and fifteenth days of the waxing moon, monks enter the main chapel where they must recite the code of monastic precepts. Once this ritual obligation is completed, the elderly members of the congregation go into the temple to listen to the monks pray and preach from the Buddhist scriptures. It is a custom that we, as proud Thais, should conserve for our children and grandchildren. I have been an art teacher since 1974, and I have seen many of the artistic treasures that past masters have bequeathed us. The murals that grace the ordination halls, chapels, scripture halls, and bell towers, as well as the architectural designs of these structures themselves were all born from a profound faith in the teachings of the Lord Buddha. This faith is made manifest in a variety of forms, ranging from the statues of gods and goddesses, Buddha images, and mythical lions and swans, to great serpents (naka) and all the other creatures that inhabit the Himaphan forest. It is evident in the intricate vine motifs and in the amazing statuary around the chedi at Wat Jet Yawd or in the scripture hall and exquisite murals at Lai Kham Chapel. It is equally visible in the masterworks at Wat Pra Singha Voravihara and in the folk art that decorates the walls of the ordination hall at Wat Buak Krok Luang. Sadly, these works of art are at risk of damage and decay, threatening the survival of our rich cultural and artistic legacy. Fortunately, however, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University has initiated a program in Buddhist art, consisting of two possible majors: painting and sculpture. This four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree is open to monks, novices and other interested individuals. Those who enter the program will receive a solid grounding in the Pali language and in Buddhist art, and graduates will be skilled artists and craftsmen, with an appreciation for the countryís rich cultural heritage. Some will be trained to preserve and restore the temples where the monks and novices spend Buddhist lent. In other cases, the monks will have a voice in deciding how best to protect the artistic legacy with which they are most intimately familiar for the benefit of future generations to come. I was involved in designing this program and have taught some of the students who have enrolled. I feel an obligation to do this since I have taken the raw materials that inform the Buddhist art of northern Thailand and used them as a spur for my own thinking and my own imagination. I have lived in the North for as long as Iíve been a painter, ever since 1974. I recognize the value of the regionís artistic heritage. My wish to create a series of paintings entitled ìSerenityî grew out of this recognition. These paintings were inspired by the atmosphere both inside and outside the ordination halls, chapels and monksí quarters of Lanna Buddhist temples. At the heart of these works are the Buddha images particular to northern Thailand as well as the simple belongings of the monks and the interior and exterior elements of northern Thai Buddhist architecture. I have taken the decorative motifs, the statues of deities and the fabulous creatures made by the gifted craftsmen of the past and rearranged them to give tangible form to such abstract concepts as purity, light and serenity. In each painting, the light from a candle or a lamp or a lantern is the central focal point, creating a strong sense of unity, amidst a softly lit atmosphere of peace and serenity. The mind is still, lit by wisdom that perceives the dharma. From Fatehpur, the Land of the Maharajas, to Paintings of “Serenity” Fatehpur is a small city in the land of the maharajas in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Because the surrounding countryside is arid, sandy desert, the wind that blows through the city is full of fine grains of sand. To keep the sand out of our lungs, we must cover our noses and mouths with a cloth. The traditional village houses on the outskirts of the city are made of bricks covered with a mixture of clay and cow manure. The homes of the wealthy are made of bricks covered with a layer of plaster. Some are a single story tall; others are several stories in height. Most are square in shape and built around a central courtyard that is open to the sky. The sun shines down on the courtyard, but there is often a cooling breeze and the air is refreshingly free of sand. In Fatehpur there is virtually no rainy season, only the hot and cool seasons. The people of the city are dependent on wells for their water. What sets Fatehpur apart from other cities in the region are beautiful palaces of the maharajas who once ruled here. The people who lived here were exceedingly rich. As weíve often heard, India is home to the richest and the poorest people on the planet. This has clearly been true for generations. The palaces of Fatehpur were built on a monumental scale. Despite the outstanding craftsmanship that is evident in the plasterwork, the windows, and doors, the most glorious feature of these ancient structures are the murals that adorn the interior and exterior walls. The artistry of these paintings is exquisite, and the contrasting colors ñ brilliant scarlet, royal blue, yellow, brown, green and black - are striking. The paintings in front, which depict people and animals, are an expression of the maharajaís once great power. There are elephants, camels and horses, animals used for travel and to hunt other animals. Soldiers stand guard around the Indian prince. Other details portray the lives of maharaja, the maharani and the royal consorts. Theirs was a life of luxury and comfort, attended by servants and serenaded by musicians playing percussion, strings and woodwind instruments. There are elephants, camels and horses all caparisoned in brilliant colors and beautiful patterns. The artists who created these murals succeeded wonderfully in conveying the wealth and opulence of the ruling class. They possessed a strong gift for composition, color, and harmony. The portrayal of people and animals, both in the larger paintings and the smaller ones, is virtually flawless. The paintersí talents are especially obvious in the decorative creeping vines and in the individualized faces of the human figures, all of them graceful and dignified, in keeping with the style of the architecture. The clothing worn by the royal personages is equally elaborate and intended to convey the power of the princes and the royal family. What makes Fatehpur particularly astounding is simply that there are more than 40 mansions, all of them decorated with murals on the interior and exterior walls. The city has, in fact, come to be known as an open air gallery. These mansions, built around 200 years ago, in the 18th and 19th centuries, raise the question why their owners competed to decorate their residences with the most beautiful paintings. The answer seems to be that the murals were meant to represent the taste and wealth of the people who owned these homes. They were a manifestation of royal power. Art was a royal emblem, much as it was at Versailles, home to the French royal court, or at the palace of the Shah of Iran, or at countless other royal residences. Throughout Europe and America, the rich and powerful have often been eager to cover the walls of their homes with works of art which attested to their refined tastes and their economic and political might. Another interesting question is why the murals on the exterior walls of these palaces have suffered so little damage over the course of their 200-year history. The answer here lies with northern Indiaís climate, which is dry and desert-like almost all year round. It is this lack of moisture that explains the remarkable condition of these works of art. Today the descendants of the maharajas who built more than 20 of these palaces have died off, leaving the buildings abandoned. Fortunately, the Indian government has stepped in with funding to allow people to live in these homes and look after them. Still, damage is inevitable. The families living in these old buildings cook, and smoke from their cooking fires leaves a coating of soot on the paintings. This is a particular problem since the most common fuel is cow manure, not a clean burning fuel. It is sad to see the damage that these fires have caused. It was a trip to visit these glorious old mansions that inspired me to create a series of paintings which I entitled ìSerenity.î These paintings borrow from architectural forms of India and from the compositional elements, colors, and patterns of the murals of Fatehpur. These elements have been combined with my own individual style to create paintings set at night and bathed in the still, warm, and intimate light of an oil lamp. Fatehpur, in the land of the maharajas in northern India, is one of the wellsprings of Asian painting. Its influence has certainly been felt here in Thailand. The art of this graceful city deserves careful study and conservation. It is impingent on us all to ensure that future generations are able to see and appreciate the exquisite works of art that adorn the center of this old royal city. Asst. Prof. Surasit Saokong Translation by R. Michael Crabtree |
 |