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 a long time from our last meeting. In the evening, I dined out with my close friend. While we were munching sticky rice with fried pork, he abruptly started talking about Fua Haripitak without any introduction. To my surprise, it seemed that everything about Fua was surrounding me, so I decided to dedicate my night to him. Before jumping into the content, I would like to give an introduction about him. His life was beyond imagination. In some moments, it could be sweet with tangible bitterness like a play. If I had raised enough funds to produce a film, Fua’s biography would have been the one to be undertaken. I could guarantee that this film would be full of astonishment hitting the audiences with the dumbstruck feeling until their popcorn scattering out from the basket along with wiping out the tearful eyes and the runny nose by the shirt sleeves from nearby.

On the 22nd of April 1910, a baby boy named Fua Tongyu was born in a houseboat in Ratburana area, Thonburee Province which is now merged with Bangkok Province, the capital city. His father, Pleng, was a chamberlain whose drawing skill was outstanding. Unfortunately, his life was so short that he died before his wife gave birth to a baby boy named Fua. No sooner did his dad pass away than his mom departed him eternally leaving Fua to his grandma, Tubtim. Tubtim had taken care of Fua solely, and she was the world to him.

When it was time to go to school, he went to Wat Suthat School for his primary level education where he witnessed Thai traditional wall paintings at the temple for the first time. These impressed him naturally. After finishing the primary school level, Fua went on to his secondary school at Wat Benjamabophit School and entered the workforce as an officer at the State Railway of Thailand. After working for two days, he decided to quit the job as he felt it was not him. Therefore, he attended The Academy of Art: Poh-Chang in 1929. Everything went well until the fifth year. He passed every subject, but he dropped out of his degree despite the final year of his educational level. This is because his determination was different from what the academy taught.

After giving up his education there, Fua came to be a student of Khun Patiparkpimpalikhit, the first cartoonist and impressionism artist of Thailand, who inspired Fua’s drawing and painting styles. Later on, Fua attended the School of Fine Arts, which was promoted to be ‘Silpakorn University’ thereafter supervised by an Italian-born art professor Silpa Bhirasri. 

During his student’s life, Fua fell in love with a lady from a well-to-do family, MRW. Thanormsak Kridakorn. However, their relationship was opposed by the lady’s family as Fua was living on a shoestring. Finally, they both made an elopement to starting their couple life at a rental small flat. They went studying in the morning while spending their romantic time in the evening. It was the best time in their lives ever. The whole world turned pink in their eyes. Despite living in frugality, they lived happily and had a baby boy together named Thamnu.

After studying at the School of Fine Arts for a while, Fua still felt that the course was so rigid that he abandoned his degree (again). Then, he turned to be a trainee for Professor Silpa Bhirasri who welcome Fua to be his private trainee because he admired Fua for his artistic skills tremendously. Although his mind and soul were free from anything bonding upon and were in contrast to the school syllabus, Fua had been Prof. Silpa’s right-hand man until he pursued his study at Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India as recommended by Prof. Silpa and supported financially by his wife. While studying in India, he experienced the preservation of traditional paintings on the wall in the shrines or caves through duplicating techniques. These inspired the conservation practice in Thailand. His life over there had run smoothly during the first few months before receiving the two bad news: the pass away of his dearest grandma and the mental disorder symptom of his wife who was relocated by her family to obtain treatment in Pratabong, Cambodia. He had never heard anything from her since then. To his great agony pain, he determined to leave his life in the protection of one of the highest Indian Gods: Narai, so he changed his family name from Thongyu to Haribhitak which meant ‘protected by Narai’.

It seemed that that two bad news were not the worst hits in his life. After spending his life in India for one year, Fua had got another miserable impact causing by World War 2. India took Allies Side and had to capture Thai people residing there as prisoners of war. Fua was put into a concentration camp in the desert where a tremendous number of people were packed. The living condition was obnoxious, and it was easy for the people to get susceptible from the disease. No exception for Fua. He also got beaten by contagious illness and malnutrition, but he finally survived by his meditation, yoga practice, and painting to release his stress. His painting was so awesome that he won the first prize in the art competition held in the camp. After five years in a dreadful place, he was released to return to his hometown.

It seemed that the affliction still crippled his life after he found out that his house was burnt to ash including his lofty paintings. It was a dog’s life for him as he had no money left and nobody to rely on. Although the devil of bad luck stokes him up many times, he had a very warm shelter to anchor from apprehensive storms. Prof. Silpa asked him to be an instructor at Silpakorn University. It was the first period of university establishment. Every dog has its day. So does Fua. His life was getting better gradually, and he had another love with Somthawin who the morning dew was drop for his withered life.

In 1949, Fua submitted his painting to the National Art Competition which was held for the first time. No wonder: he fetched a gold medal from his mountainous scenic painting which was done during his trip in the mountain with the valley of sprawling farming embraced with lush green plants. His painting ‘Petchburee’ was created from hasty brushstrokes. In the next coming year, he sent a portrait of the wife of Chit Rienprachar, the famous sculptor, and named it ‘Pragaipetch’, the glittering jewel. His clear-colored painting like the gleaming gemstone and the feeling of the model had been worth another gold medal of the competition. 

In 1954, the Italian government granted a scholarship to Fua for further study in Art at Rome Royal Academy. Fua made his journey solely along with only a letter of recommendation by Prof. Silpa Bhirasri instead of the degree from an art institution as he had not finished any degree in Thai nor India. His art skills were developed considerably to the global standard while he was studying in Italy. After two years of studying in Rome, he handed a painting he created in Italy to the National Art Competition in 1957. The picture of a western model was painted with instantaneous thick brushstrokes through a combination of impressionism and cubism styles. Certainly, his painting fetched another gold medal again, so he had got three gold medals from three years and became a national artist of distinction automatically.

As previously narrated in the previous article, instead of being a wealthy professional artist of contemporary art, Fua made a pivotal turn to the auspicious life and was determined to preserve the Thai traditional art on the ruinous wall of ancient temples by duplicating techniques. Primarily, Prof. Silpa opposed his idea for fear of losing an impeccable artist like Fua. Nonetheless, after perceiving what Fua had done for the Thai traditional art, Prof. Silpa gave him handsome support and brought about the idea of Thai traditional art preservation to the public through his article ‘Tomorrow is too late’.

The road Fua chose was paved with sharp rocks and hard for anyone to stroll down, but his determination was unwavering. He did not hope for a pleasant tomorrow nor a wealthy life but for the sake of art conservation. Not only did he copy the pattern, but he also depicted the feeling and soul of the delicate pictures. Fua wandered around Thailand tirelessly to duplicate and rejuvenate a large number of dilapidated wall paintings in the aged temples. One of the most memorable restorations was the building where Tripitaka verses were kept at Wat Rakhang Kositaram. This building situated in the polluted pond previously kept coffins waiting for the cremation and was about to be dismantled. One day, Fua came investigating and found out that numerous old art masters: Ajarn Nark and the anonymous artisans in Ayutthaya, Thonburi, and Early Rattanakosin periods, had contributed the painting inside this shabby building. It could be said that this building was the center of artisanship. However, those paintings were covered with thick dust and hard to see clearly. Fua groaned in despair for fear that he could lose the national precious legacy like he was losing his close relative. He called anyone who could help him to restore this heritage building. After raising funds, he gradually restored this building with great care and dwelled there until he was called ‘The Ghost of Tripitaka Building’.

His priceless restoration was praiseworthy both domestically and internationally. He was highly honored to receive the prestigious Magsaysay Award for public service in 1983 which was compatible with the ASEAN Nobel Prize. He was the one and the only Thai artist who won this estimable award and was praised to be the Thai National artist in the branch of visual art in 1985.

Fua worked for the art conservation and Silpakorn University until he reached the age of almost 80. His relentless spirit of teaching and preserving the Thai legacy was noteworthy.

He collapsed in 1990 and was hospitalized at Siriraj Hospital for three years but did not feel any better. He, finally, got paralyzed and died from inflamed blood vessels of the brain on the 19th of October 1993.

The clock chimed twelve times to tell me that it was midnight. It was time to start the new day which was October 19th. That could be a sign for me to write about him. Tomorrow, I have to wake up early to make merit for him by food offering to a monk. However, this article needs to be finalized for the publisher. I do hope that Fua would feel my best wishes and respect at a peaceful place. I will keep continuing to write about his devotion to our nation and the Thai art circle. Before going to bed, I did pray to God for him who was the master of the art.

‘It tang may karupachaya jarinang young hotu sukhita honey kurupachaya jariya’

‘May my merits be availed to my teachers; may their lives and soul full with pleasure.’

(A Buddhism prayer of giving the merits to the teacher.)

อิทัง เมครุปชฌายาจะรินา ยัง โหตุ สุขิตา โหนตุ ครุปชฌายาจะริยา

Goodnight Thailand, I’m so proud of being born in Thailand, his fellow countryman.