Jitr (Prakit) Buabusaya (1911-2010)

Born 1911 in Bangkok
Died December 20, 2010 (aged 99)
graduated from Royal College of Arts in London, England

Jitr Buabusaya is one of the most important figures in the history of Thai modern art. He not only took part in setting up the art curriculum for Rongrian Phaochang (The Arts and Crafts School), but he was also a pioneer Thai artist who executed his work in true French Impressionistic Style (1940s).

The influence of French Impressionism resulted from his stay in Japan when he went there to work on his post graduate course at Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts in 1941. At that time Japanese art was widely influenced by French Impressionism and that museums in Japan had a collection of French Impressionist paintings. However, Jitr's paintings done in the style mentioned include Fuji Vine Arbor (1946), Tokyo Fine Arts University Garden (1942) and Opulent Autum at Kurobe Gorge (1942). It is very unfortunate that many of Jitr's paintings of Japanese sceneries were destroyed by the bombing of Tokyo during World War II. Jitr could only bring back with him the remaining paintings which were relatively small in size.