200YEARS-010724 - Flipbook - Page 23
Chaophraya Yommarat. This collaborative Italian-Siamese process resulted
in a fusion of Art Nouveau patterns with Kanok garlands, cupids, figures from
the Ramakien, flora and dynastic emblems like garuda, naga, and elephants.
These hybrid motifs accompanied scenes of King Phra Phuttha Yodfa Chulalok
riding an elephant as a great warrior-monarch, cultural propagation, religious
promotion, international diplomacy and the abolition of slavery symbolizing
Siam9s civilized independence in the face of Western colonialism. It was an
opportunity for Chini to absorb Bangkok9s atmosphere, light and daily life as he
experimented with Post-Impressionist color dabs capturing riverscapes, Chinese
New Year in Sampheng, or gambling dens. He also painted topless dancers
adorned with chada headpieces. Chini9s direct Siamese experience inspired
visions of the Orient, unlike Gerome9s odalisques and belly dancers. He exhibited
these paintings at the 1904 Venice Biennale and later incorporated Siamese
influences into his 1926 opera Turandot set designs for Giacomo Puccini.26
whatever the artist imagined. These artists seem to make them as repulsive as
possible or deliberately paint madness. To depict a woman, they choose the
ugliest - grimacing mouth, protruding teeth, sunken eyes, potbelly - like painting
a church9s mural of ghosts. Even the colors are the worst, garish ones with no
shading or blending, just slapped on with no sense of lines. It defeats the purpose
of 8art9 - not resembling anything beautiful or pleasing. If Realism is the best
choice, then the ugliest, vaguest, and dimmest are chosen. If exaggerated,
the sun becomes ruby, purple, trees purple, the naked ground green - all sorts
of inexplicable things.=27
Through 19th-century architecture and design, the Siamization process hinged
on royal approval for commissioning modern European works across disciplines,
drawing artists, architects, and artisans for long-term residencies. Regrettably,
there was no established academic training system taught by European faculty
such as Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art (Bombay), College of Arts & Crafts
(Calcutta), Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Manila), or Tokyo School of Arts.
Transmission of Albertina Academic principles remained limited to the Siamese
court. Had such a Western-style art institution been founded then, Siamese
students and artists could have studied under instructors from the prestigious
Albertina Academy of Fine Arts.
The Ananta Samakhom and Throne Hall equestrian statue of King
Chulalongkorn were architectural marvels and a testament to Siamese progress.
The installation of an equestrian monarch statue, following European traditions,
marked a departure from the funerary practice of crafting seated effigies
post-humously. During his second European tour, King Chulalongkorn posed in
military attire for sculptor Georges Saulo in Paris, a significant event in the history
of Siamese art. The mounted statue was unveiled at the Royal Plaza during his Siam and the Pre-Postmodern Era
41-year coronation jubilee, a lengthy reign that solidified Siam9s sovereignty in
the face of colonial threats, further highlighting the plaza9s historical significance. Postmodern thought deviates from traditional notions by rejecting singular
certainties and unity, viewing society as existing in plurality. Ideas thus
Charles Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran (1837-1917), a renowned French painter, inevitably involve complex power relations raising skepticism toward
was commissioned to create a portrait of King Chulalongkorn during his visits universalizing oversimplifications. For instance, Oriental studies and Western art
to San Remo and Paris. Duran had worked closely with Gustav Courbet and history have employed modern conceptual baselines prioritizing power and
Manet and developed his trademark with rapidly applied, vivacious brushwork white/Western preeminence across disciplines. The Postmodern turn in art and
evident in the streaks on the facial features, glinting eyes, regalia, and royal architecture amalgamated classical and modern styles, vivid colors, novel
attire. When finished, Duran9s portrait was exhibited at the Salon for seven days, materials and unconventional forms. However, studies on Postmodern eras and
drawing great public and media interest in seeing the Siamese King rendered meanings have depended mainly on Western thinkers like Charles Jencks, Jean
Baudrillard, and Jean-Fran•ois Lyotard.
in oil by a preeminent French artist.
King Chulalongkorn was interested in various modern Western art forms,
especially Art Nouveau and Impressionism. However, he disfavored
