Fua Haribhitak; You make me like a womanizer and a walking mourner at the same time.
In October 1954, Fua, age 44, held a letter of recommendation from Prof. Silpa Bhirasri in his hand tightly while he was crossing the large ocean from Thailand to Italy. He was about to pursue his study at the Royal Society of Rome. In the letter, there was a brief and simple introduction indicating that...
What a dramatic life of Fua Haribhitak
Last week, a sudden jerk struck me in the middle of the night, and I slowly opened my eyes to paint the story of a discovery of a hidden painting drawn by Fua Haripitak. It was coincidentally to see a lovely couple, Khun Thamnu and Khun Bee (Fua’s son and his daughter-in-law) at noon after...
Angkarn Kalayanapong, the charcoal poet proclaiming poems and moral lessons.
‘ ใครดูถูกดูหมิ่นศิลปะ อนารยะไร้สกุลสถุลสัตว์ Anyone insulting in art is the beast, ราวลิงค่างเสือสางกลางป่าชัฏ ใจมืดจัดกว่าน้ำหมึกดำ Like an evil wild in the deep trees. เพียงกินนอนสืบพันธุ์นั้นฤา ชื่อว่าสิ่งประเสริฐเลิศล้ำ Only eating, sleeping, and mating can’t be called a human, หยาบยโสกักขฬะอธรรม เหยียบย่ำทุกหย่อมหญ้าสาธารณ์ Just called them the impertinent, arrogant, and wicked pervading land. ภพหน้าอย่ามีรูปมนุษย์ จงผุดเกิดในร่างดิรัจฉาน Next life, they shouldn’t be human-born but a monster....
Sawasdi Tantisuk: The affordable pleasure
‘Old Masters’ are called the prodigious European artists between the year of 1200 and 1800 such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. Unlike the old master artists in Thailand, they were not as old as the European ones, but they were the direct students or trainees of Prof. Silpa Bhirasri. Most of them...
Chalood Nimsamer: The Technical Master of All
I always compared Prof. Silpa Bhirasri and his students with Professor Xavier in X-Men film, who found a superhero school, and his pupils: Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and more. Prof. Xavier taught his superhuman students to control their powers so that they could save the world from the villains. Although Prof. Silpa was born as a...
Chakrabhand Posayakrit, The Breath of Thai Art
Many years ago, I obtained a painting of a lady wearing Sabai, the traditional Thai style breast-cloth, playing a stringed instrument in a sitting position. The owner claimed that this picture was painted by Chakrabhand Posayakrit while he was studying in a secondary school. At that time, it’s quite unbelievable that a student could portray...
Enlightening from The Movie: The Turning Point of Life Pratuang Emjaroen
The story of King Taksin moving his troops to Chanthaburi reminded me of the life of the greatest artists in Thailand, Pratuang Emjaroen. According to Thai history, King Taksin let his troops enjoy the last meal outside the city of Chanthaburi where he decided to seize. He ordered everyone to break the earthen cooking pots...
Silpa Bhirasri: The Big Bang of the Thai Art Sphere
I wasn’t born in Italy in my former life, nor does my life in the present day attend Silpakorn University. However, I love dwelling in Prof. Silpa Bhirasri’s office which is currently open as a museum without paying an entrance fee. My office is pretty close to this place in the Tha-Pra-Chan area. When I...