Architecture

Each architectural element has been created with a symbolic intent which Thai artists have sought to interpret in the most beautiful way possible. Nearly every component symbolizes a particular aspect of Thai Theravada Buddhism. Many of the symbolic elements began as Hindu concepts which the Buddhists then modified to fit their own purposes.

A unique architectural style emerged by the seventeenth century. Layered parabolic arcs characterize the roofs of the buildings, giving structural stability, and adding gracefulness and a sense of height. Elaborate decoration stems from the Thai's love of bright color and from the Hindu belief that a temple is part of heaven on earth.

Painting

Most Thai classical painting is in the form of murals covering the interior walls of temple buildings. Concerned with religion and morality, these murals are used for instruction and decoration. Subjects typically deal with the Tosachak (Ten Lives of Buddha), the Ramakien (The Thai version of the India Ramayana legend) and the Traiphum (heaven, earth and hell).

Thai painting is characterized by a twodimensional approach, devoid of perspective in the Western sense and lacking a vanishing point. Within each panel is an entire story or several episodes of a story laid out in somewhat random order. Artists fill every available space with figures, buildings and foliage, using 'off-stage" areas to portray scenes of ordinary life.

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