Thailand

Native Art in Thailand started with rock art and pottery thousands of years ago, and a rich tradition of arts and crafts has continued through a succession of kingdoms and influences such as the Chinese, Indian, and religious beliefs.

Painting progressed to murals, manuscripts and fine art. Mural characteristics contain many small individual scenes, landscapes and figures in contrast to the large wall space on which they are painted.

The objects are stylised are two dimensional in form, that is there is no perspective of. There are also continuous and flowing sets of panoramas of places, palaces, towns, events and country landscapes with real and mythical people or creatures.

All are painted from a perspective that the viewer is high above , as if in the sky looking down or from a distance.

The episodes of religious and everyday life are reflections from different times but are depicted simultaneously separated by landscape or architecture like a zig zag design.

Spectacular sculpture with enigmatic serenity started to be produced with the advent of Buddhism. These have ranged in size from Sukhothai's gigantic seated Buddha at Wat Si Chum, which measures 11 metres from knee to knee, to tiny, fingernail-sized Buddas worn as amulets.

Architects developed their own distinctive styles of soaring multi tiered rooftops and towering spires, often covered in gold leaf, straining toward the sky.

Harmoniously combining two apparently paradoxical elements, flamboyancy and serenity, the style is Thailand's own.

Pottery dating back more than 5,000 years has been found at Ban Chiang in the north east. Commonplace items are given an elegance of line or design that makes them more than merely functional.

Celadon stoneware and finely wrought nielloware bowls occasionally rise to the lofty heights of fine art.

Silversmiths have applied their skills to a great variety of objects, from goblets to swords, but their most common products have been ceremonial bowls and boxes of assorted sizes.

These are usually adorned with elaborate decorations, either figures or traditional Thai motifs.

Baskets, are deftly woven from thin strips of bamboo and other native plants, and are especially made different purposes.

Such as traps to catch fish and containers for carrying rice, storing rice, for winnowing rice, for measuring coconuts, for rearing silkworms and for storing clothes and for every conceivable need that might arise in the course of everyday rural existence.

Traditional crafts consist of floral decorations used in countless ceremonies the most commonly seen are mala or garlands and the lotus shaped float called the krathong

The best-known Thai product is silk, designs of old denoted rank, and it was part of every ceremonial costume.

Lacquer ware inlaid with intricate designs of mother of pearl shell resulted in magnificent works during the Ayutthaya and early Bangkok periods, when temple doors and windows, manuscript boxes and betel nut sets were splendidly decorated.

Woodcarving in Thailand often achieves the level of fine art with Temple decorations and statues.

Thais adapted their native music to the incoming influences and developed new musical instruments such as the phin, sang, pi chanai, krachap pi, chakhe, and thon.

Arts - Crafts - Gifts - Posters

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• Japan Art and Gifts provides products that exhibit the flair of Japanese design, some of the products are hand made by talented artisans who spend weeks to produce just one piece.
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