Buddhism arrived in Siam in the 1st century and later served as the seminal impulse to art.
Traditionally, the temple served as the centre of art, architecture and painting with the artwork, generally a Buddha image or mural painting serving, as a form of moral guidance as well as a thing of beauty.
For a long time, painting was restricted to murals adorning the inside of temples. Other than adding beauty and dignity to the structures, murals had a didactic function to instruct less educated parishioners in ethics via the display of Buddhist parables.
Until recently, painting was not an act of self-expression but a religious offering. The artists were anonymous, either monks or laymen making merit in the service of the Buddha.
Most murals follow the format of having scenes from the life of the Buddha on the wall behind the main Buddha image and morality play scenes from the Jataka tales on the side walls. The renditions of scenes from daily life shown in the latter give fascinating glimpses into traditional life in the past. Murals were never merely ornamental but served to inspire and instruct and remind the worshipper of the Dharma.
For a long time, painting was restricted to murals adorning the inside of temples. Other than adding beauty and dignity to the structures, murals had a didactic function to instruct less educated parishioners in ethics via the display of Buddhist parables.
Until recently, painting was not an act of self-expression but a religious offering. The artists were anonymous, either monks or laymen making merit in the service of the Buddha.
Most murals follow the format of having scenes from the life of the Buddha on the wall behind the main Buddha image and morality play scenes from the Jataka tales on the side walls. The renditions of scenes from daily life shown in the latter give fascinating glimpses into traditional life in the past. Murals were never merely ornamental but served to inspire and instruct and remind the worshipper of the Dharma.