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 normal man and did not have any light radiated from his body, he made a great contribution to the Thai art circle. His students could be compatible with the X-Men as their artistic skills were untarnished. Some were good at sculpture while others were specialized in painting. Some were capable of carving. However, one of his students was outstanding as he could master all techniques of art. He liked trying something different through trial-and-error processes. He was one of Prof. Silpa’s X-Men students named Chalood Nimsamer.

Chalood was born on May 2nd, 1929 in a big peasant family with seven siblings in Bang Waek, Pasichareon, Thonburee Province. Everyone named him a little rascal when he was a kid because he always painted everywhere from a book to a wall with his imagination by pieces of charcoal, chalk, or crayons. Undoubtedly, his parents always gave him several sticks for his unintended colorful mural paintings.

After finishing school level at Wat Nuannoradit School, he fell into a severe situation of world war. It was the hyperinflation time which the cost of goods in the market skyrocketed, so Chalood needed to enter into a workforce to relieve his household financial burden. He started working as a teacher at Wat Tanode with a salary of 40THB. Shortly after, he applied to be a naval rating student; he did not fancy fighting with the enemy other than having regular meals and clothing provided in the navy school. He usually skipped the class, so he was expelled from the school. After that, he resided at a temple and became a monk’s crew. When he was free, he spent time drawing. One day, a group of students from Pohchang Art Academy coincidently found him painting in the temple. They suggested he continue his dream at their academy so he could improve his artistic senses and skills. Chalood showed no sign of sweating to enter the academy. He passed the entrance exam with the highest score, so he was granted a one-year scholarship. From nothing to something; from the rascal to the brightest. He became the brightest student at his level involuntarily.

After studying at Pohchang Academy for two years, he decided to transfer his academic credit from his current academy to the faculty of painting and sculpture at Silpakorn University, which was just established at that time. It was his opportune time to study directly with Prof. Silpa who sharpened his skills to the highest. While studying at the university, he sent his water-painting to the National Art Competition 4th in 1953 for fun. Without surprise, he got a bronze medal, his first national award, from his painting of a rice field. He finished his degree at the university with first-class honor and became the first graduate student there.

After graduating, he became an art instructor helping Prof. Silpa at Silpakorn University. In 1955, he submitted several artworks to the National Art Competition 6th in most areas of art skills: drawing, oil painting, and sculpturing. This is because of his excellent multi-art skills while the other candidates handed only skills they did best. Therefore, he fetched three awards: a gold medal in monochrome art from a drawing of ‘Monsoon Forest’, two silver medals from a sculpture of a girl sitting with head on hand named ‘Think’, and an oil painting named ‘Thai Peasant Family’.

In the National Art Contest of the next following year, Chalood sent various kinds of artworks to the committees as well. This time, he swept a gold medal from a printmaking work ‘Dinner’ and a wood carving in the form of a girl sided laying down bending her knees up named ‘The Purity of Nature’.  It is found that he had reaped several awards after competing for a few years,

As his talent was unparalleled, Chalood had received a two-year scholarship to pursue his study since 1956 at the renowned Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Italy, where nurtured his skills in printmaking and ceramic design. He also exhibited his artworks solely in Paris, France, which were paintings, printmaking, and potteries.

After returning from Europe, he did not miss the National Art Competition 10th in 1959. This time another gold medal was awarded to him from a painting of ‘A Fish Seller’. According to the regulation of the committee, Chalood had several gold medals and was honored as a national artist of distinction who was forbidden to submit his artwork for competition, but he could show his work in the exhibition arranged there. Hence, he became a committee in the following year instead.

Apart from the Thai Art Competition, he submitted his works to the global art contests and was awarded for his printmaking from Yugoslavia and Japanese Art Contests. 

In addition to his further education, he was offered a six-month scholarship to study art in the USA in 1964. This time, he focused on printmaking and undertook copious tools along with learning numerous techniques from the forefront artists. After finishing the short course, he came to establish the printmaking department at Silpakorn University successfully.

In his lifetime, he contributed Thai art circle by working on his art pieces. His workforce at Silpakorn University started from the head of the department to the dean of the faculty which allowed him to teach and be responsible for the faculty management at the same time. His devotion to education had produced a large number of art graduates and artists. When he retired in 1988, he was honored to be a National Artist in sculpture. Personally, Chalood should have been a National Artist in all kinds of art owing to his excellent multi-art skills. In the late of his life, he spent time creating art and writing textbooks at his leisure until the last day of his life at the age of 86 years old.

In terms of his artworks, anyone, who may be interested in art or not, must see his work standing gracefully shining its gleaming gold against the witnesses passing by. It is the glittering golden flame firing in front of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on Ratchada Pisek Rd. Another captivating sculpture is round Thai traditional coin money shaped like a grub situated in front of Kasikorn Bank Office Building on Phaholyothin Road.

When I started being crazy about art, I have searched for his works drastically whether they are in the forms of printed materials or kept in the museums. It is found that he applied various techniques to his works such as watercolor painting, oil painting, drawing, sculpture, wood carving, ceramic design, printmaking, photographing, or mixed media art. His works are depicted in the forms of both realistic and abstract. Above all, his signature painting is a girl with bang hair in different poses. Surprisingly, Chalood had drawn this girl since he was a student. After getting married, he had a cute baby girl whose face and hair look similar to his drawing in the former time.

Among Chalood’s art pieces, my favorite one fell into the painting he did a half-century ago when he was fresh graduated. Some say the longer you looked at the painting the more beautiful it will be. It could be true. As far as I remembered, the first moment I saw his oil painting, I felt it’s so plain. That painting was the picture of a girl with a genital cover holding a red pig in a field that was filled up with several four-legged creatures: elephants, horses, cows, and buffalos. It seemed that she was surrounded by the world of safari. This painting was painted in a two-dimensional style with thin oil paint. The background was laid out like a Kamar cloth pattern. Most strikingly, Chalood had applied some special techniques like scratching all over the painting. This can only be seen through a magnifying glass, and it could rock your feelings.

The ex-owner of this painting was a high-experienced collector who advised me to keep this for a while. Perhaps, if I fell into the boredom with this picture, I could return it to him without any paying. Moreover, if I fell in love with it and did not have enough cash, I could pay in installments. It was such a generous promotion to me that was irresistible. When I hung the painting at home, I felt attracted because it was easy to comprehend with the artist’s talented technique and conveyed the Thainess without any dishevel detail. As well as this, the painting’s age, which was older than mine, particularly intrigued me to the emotional and sentimental realms. After being submerged by his painting’s charm, I tried to search for his paintings whose age was similar to the painting of a girl holding a red pig relentlessly. However, a few had been found but the owners were unwilling to release them. To ask for a girl to get married was far easier than owning one of Chalood’s paintings. This triggered me to find out why his painting at a half-century age was scarcely to be in the market and its price was untouchable. After completing research, it is found that Chalood in his youth could not control himself resulting in burning his works to ash. That’s why his aged paintings were scanty in the market.

Luckily, my painting of the girl holding a red pig wasn’t in flamed. Otherwise, the red pig would turn to be red roasted pork, the famous Chinese recipe. By my further reckoning, art can be depicted in any kind of form. If Chalood filmed his burning time of costly paintings and submitted it to the art contest, this film could fetch another award that could make me feel faint in the flame.