Ayutthaya period[edit]

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The surviving art from this period was primarily executed in stone, characterised by juxtaposed rows
of Buddha figures. In the middle period, Sukhothai influence dominated, with
large bronze or brick and stucco Buddha images, as well as decorations of gold leaf in free-form
designs on a lacquered background. The late period was more elaborate, with Buddha images in
royal attire, set on decorative bases.

Statue of Buddha Shakyamuni; 14th-15th century; copper alloy; 73.03 x 53.34 x 25.4 cm (283⁄4 x 21 x
10 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA)

Bangkok period[edit]
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This period is characterized by the further development of the Ayutthaya style, rather than by more
great innovation. One important element was the Krom Chang Sip Mu (Organization of the Ten
Crafts), founded in Ayutthaya, which was responsible for improving the skills of the country's
craftsmen. Paintings from the mid-19th century show the influence of Western art.

Statue of a monk; 19th century; gilt copper alloy; 75.25 x 38.74 x 47.31 cm (295⁄8 x 151⁄4 x 185⁄8 in.); Los
Angeles County Museum of Art (USA)
 
 Buddha Shakyamuni in the Parileyaka forest attended by animals; late 19th century; gilt copper
alloy with lacquer; 115.57 x 51.44 x 47.63 cm (451⁄2 x 201⁄4 x 183⁄4 in.); Los Angeles County Museum of
Art
 

Hanuman on his chariot, a scene from the Ramakien in Wat Phra Kaew (Bangkok)

Contemporary[edit]
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Modern painting in the western sense started late in Thailand, with Professor Silpa Bhirasri and the
establishment of Silpakorn University, but Thai artists are now expressing themselves in a variety of
media such as installations, photographs, prints, video art and performance art.[citation needed]
In the mid 1990s, a group of artists created the Chiang Mai Social Installation, which brought art and
performance out of the traditional gallery setting and into the streets of Chiang Mai.
2018 saw the first iteration of the Bangkok Biennial.

Painting[edit]

A depiction of a white elephant in 19th century Thai art.

Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two dimensions without perspective. The size of each

element in the picture reflected its degree of importance. The primary technique of composition is
that of apportioning areas: the main elements are isolated from each other by space transformers.
This eliminated the intermediate ground, which would otherwise imply perspective. Perspective was
introduced only as a result of Western influence in the mid-19th century. Monk artist Khrua In
Khong is well-known as the first artist to introduce linear perspective to Thai traditional art.
The most frequent narrative subjects for paintings were or are: the Jataka stories, episodes from the
life of the Buddha, the Buddhist heavens and hells, themes derived from the Thai versions of the
Ramayana and Mahabharata, not to mention scenes of daily life. Some of the scenes are influenced
by Thai folklore instead of following strict Buddhist iconography.

A page of the Phra Malai Manuscript; opaque watercolor and ink on paper; covers: gilded and
lacquered paper; c. 1860–1880; 13.97 x 68.26 x 6.35 cm (51⁄2 x 267⁄8 x 21⁄2 in.); Los Angeles County
Museum of Art
 

A page of the Phra Malai Manuscript; opaque watercolor and ink on paper; covers: gilded and
lacquered paper; c. 1860–1880; 13.97 x 68.26 x 6.35 cm (51⁄2 x 267⁄8 x 21⁄2 in.); Los Angeles County
Museum of Art
 

Vessantara Jataka, Chapter 8 (The Royal Children); 1920-1940 AD; paint on cloth; height: 52.5 cm
(20.6 in), width: 66.5 cm (26.1 in); Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, USA)
 

A page of a Thai manuscript from the Wellcome Collection (London) that represents the monk Phra
Malai converses with Indra in heaven