Abstract Art Galleries

An abstract art gallery or museum usually hosts art exhibitions and is also used as a location for the sale of art. Some of the abstract art form represented in such museums includes fauvism, cubism, surrealism and abstract expressionism.

Some famous abstract art galleries in the world are Centre Pompidou, located in Paris, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Pecci Museum of Contemporary Art and Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Italy. England hosts some famous abstract art museums like Annely Juda, Estorick Collection, Modern Art Oxford, Serpentine Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate St Ives, Tate Liverpool and Pier Art Gallery. The United States also boosts two popular art galleries, the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum.

Centre Georges Pompidou, commonly known as Pompidou Centre, houses around 50,000 art works including paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs. On the other hand, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a small museum on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, which primarily contains the personal art collection of Peggy Guggenheim. However, the museum also displays collections of other prominent American modernists and Italian futurists, and includes work based on themes of cubism, surrealism and abstract expressionism. The museum has gained prominence in Italy for its collection of European and American art of the first half of the 20th century.

England houses some well-known art galleries. Modern Art Oxford and the Tate Gallery have some amazing abstract art collections. Modern Art Oxford was established in 1969 by a small group of Oxford dons and hosts works of renowned artists like Tracey Emin. Tate Gallery encompasses Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St. Ives and Tate Modern, and houses some of the best abstract art in the world.

In the US, the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum exhibit some famous work of abstract artists. The Museum of Modern Art houses some best modern masterpieces in the world, like Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí, and Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian, among others. It also displays works by leading American artists like Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and Edward Hopper. On the other hand, the Whitney Museum displays contemporary American art by some lesser-known artists.

Abstract art galleries provide a unique opportunity for art lovers to study and admire the works of their favorite artists, and with modern technology, most of these art works are also accessible to art patrons through virtual art museums.

Buying Fine Art

To the uninitiated the prospect of buying fine art for investment can be as daunting as being asked to paint the Sistine Chapel or construct St Paul's Cathedral out of match sticks. A glimpse of the plush interiors of the major auction houses or trip to one of central London's sometimes intimidating galleries can give the casual visitor second thoughts about purchasing a piece of art. Alternatively the individual might be unsure about the value or authenticity of the painting or drawing they are proposing to buy, but press ahead with the transaction anyway on the principle that they may not know much about art, but they know what they like. And the gallery assistant has gone to all this trouble and seems to know what they're talking about, so it would be churlish to pull out now.

The best way to make the subjective practice of buying a piece of fine art is to be as objective as possible. In other words, to ensure that you get what you pay for, it is worthwhile learning a bit more about how the art market works and gathering as much information about the particular artist or style or period that you are interested in as you can. There are two principle ways of doing this. You can research the artist's output and historical significance in art books and exhibition catalogues or read reviews by local and national art critics, and you can look through the sales records available in most major public libraries and art galleries to determine how much their work goes for.

A natural place to start researching price would be with the seller of the piece you are interested in. Judge whether the artist has a track record of selling works of art similar to the piece you like for amounts comparable to what you're being asked to pay. A reputable dealer should have this information on file and be willing to discuss it with you; any reluctance to do so suggests that they have something to hide either about the piece or the amount they are asking for it. As an additional measure, it is worth reviewing the artist's general sales history over the past five years to determine that their price has remained consistent, paying particular attention to the average price fetched.

Once you have established the price that the artist sells for, the research you have done about their life and output should give you an indication of the significance, and relative value, of the piece you are interested in. Is the piece a typical or atypical example of the artist's output? Is it from the artist's mature period or an early work which indicates how the artist's mature style evolved (bear in mind that the majority of an artist's earliest pieces are usually in museums or private hands, so invariably sell for a higher than usual price when they come onto the market)? Does it have any special significance in the artist's life or interesting stories associated with it? Has it ever been discussed in print by experts or the artist themselves?

This investigation should also include uncovering its provenance, exhibition history and ownership history. As human beings require a passport to move from country to country, so do works of art, and the gallery should be able to provide you with the necessary certificates of authenticity. There are a number of areas to be mindful of, though, including the extent to which the individuals who authenticate or attribute the art to a particular artist are qualified to do so. Unless their authority is backed by some professional association with the artist, such as publishing papers in respected journals, curating museum or major gallery shows or having an extensive experience of trading in them, then their opinion is not worth a great deal. Alternatively they could be relatives, employees or descendants of the artist or have some form of legal or estate-granted entitlement to pass judgment on the work of art. And if the artist is alive, don't hesitate to ask the gallery to get in touch with them in person to confirm that the art is authentic.

A further issue to consider is whether the art is original or reproduced by mechanical means, because one of the principle ways art dealers make money is by trading in limited edition prints, where the artists only input in the creative process has been signing a digital or photographic copy of the original. A thorough investigation of the piece, combined with asking questions about it, should uncover this, with the added benefit of revealing how much the seller knows about what they are selling. When you are happy with the asking price and ready to buy, ensure you get a detailed receipt describing the art and its condition and including a money back guarantee to protect you if, at any point in the future, you find out that the art was not properly represented. This receipt should be in addition to the other documentation that the seller provides relating to the art's history, provenance and authenticity.

But before getting to this point, there's the issue of which places you should look to source the art. The first piece of advice here is to have a clear idea of the type of art work you want and set a fixed price above which you will not go. Having done that, it makes sense to throw your net as wide as possible and explore all avenues, with particular focus on the following three options:

o Auction Houses. This can include anything from the local auction house in your area to the big auction houses in London. Naturally, the more prestigious the auctioneer is, the greater confidence you can have in the authenticity of the piece of art, and the higher the price can go. Bear in mind also that auction houses use presale estimates, reserves, and opening bid amounts which should give you a rough idea of the amount the piece might go for, though when it comes to auction time, pretty much anything goes, so you should have your wits about you as you bid against experts in the field.

o Art Galleries. As has been previously mentioned, walking into an art gallery can be a daunting experience. But just remember one thing: all the gallery's show of respectability and wealth, from the good address to the soft furnishings and discreet light fittings, has been built from selling fine art to its customers. In other words, when you buy a painting from a gallery, you're paying not only for the painting but the well appointed environment which gave you the confidence to buy it in the first place. Also, as much as a good gallery may have the necessary expertise to tell you all about the painting you are proposing to buy, they also know how to spot an amateur collector and persuade them to buy a piece they are not a hundred percent sure about.

o Internet. While sites like eBay carry obvious risks about the provenance and condition of the piece of fine art you are thinking of buying, established, authenticated sellers have several obvious advantages to more conventional ways of buying art. Above all, of course, because there is no actual gallery space, you are not subsidising their rent when you buy from them. And once you have found a piece of art that catches your eye you can do all the necessary research about it in your own time without anybody standing over you attempting to influence your decision, in addition to getting a second opinion about it from anyone with access to a computer and the internet.

Of these options, buying art online is becoming the most popular due to the advantages outlined above. But which site to visit first to look into the kind of art that is available? Well, you could do a lot worse than to have a look through Artbank.com, the UK's premier fine art trading website, which has a tremendous variety of pieces on sale at all prices. These can be reviewed in the comfort of your own home to scale against a virtual wall and with reference to a colour chart to determine how they might look against various backgrounds. And if you particularly like the piece, you can also check out the other pieces the seller has for sale, all without the pressure of having anyone look over your shoulder. Paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and ceramics are all categorised into styles and national schools for easy searching, or you can simply key in your favourite painter to see if any of their work is up for sale on the site. But don't despair if they're not, because Artbank will send you an email to notify you whenever a piece by them comes up.
The beauty of Artbank is that if there is a particular piece you like, you will be able to contact the seller directly to negotiate the price and arrange shipping and handling, because Artbank only charges a fee for using the site. There is no middle man like there is with auction houses and no part of the sale price is being used to pay the rent. In other words, Artbank is the best of both worlds, whilst also offering you the kind of choice and variety that no bricks and mortar gallery can compete with.

Whatever way you choose to buy fine art, though, always ensure that the art has the necessary documentation to authenticate it and is being sold in line with the current market value. Who knows, maybe you have the makings of being the next Peggy Guggenheim, but whatever your aspirations, have fun and the best of luck in getting the piece of art you really love!

Art Prints

Art prints are reproductions of an original work of art like paintings made by a photomechanical process. Art prints capture the rich and vibrant colors of original artwork. Unlike posters, art prints are made using special heavier print stock that is mainly intended for prints.

Compared to posters, art prints are highly durable. A high-quality art print can last for several years. Even though they are longer lasting than posters, they should be treated with special care to prevent fading and discoloration. Certain art prints can be washed with glass cleaner.

Most people think of art prints when they have to decorate a room or a new space. Art prints play a vital role in decorating your rooms. Selecting art prints is very important as they can change the look and feel of a room. Using a carefully selected art print, one can achieve the illusion of lengthening, broadening or heightening the room.

A well-chosen art print reflects the taste and style of the family that occupies the house. Art prints made in different art styles such as Asian, American masters, art deco, expressionism, folk art, gothic art, modern renaissance art, and vintage are perfect to complement one's room decor. In addition to decorating rooms, art prints are a good gifting option. For instance, bird art prints are ideal gifts for nature lovers.

In the early days before the internet became a marketplace, art prints were available only through galleries or museum shops. Today, art prints can be shopped online at a reasonable price. Art prints available online are categorized by artists, subject, colors, and art styles. Gift certificates for art prints are also available.

Most of the websites offer a wide range of online catalog of art prints of famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, Leroy Neiman, Rene Magritte, and Jack Vettriano. Art prints based on different subjects like American life, animals, architecture, fantasy, humor, landscape, spirituality and religion, music, and world culture are available as well.

Modern Art a Conspiracy Part 2

They have never been interested in others but for what they can get. The opportunity to study other cultures have presented it self severally but they were not up for it. They have written mind alteration books for their vision. It would have been ideal for them to introduce most of these books into their schools for knowledge, more researches and better appreciation of others. But hell no they were only interested in altering our mind set, artifacts and how much they can make from the unknown world.

My gratitude goes to our men and women, most of whom have lost their lives in saying the truth. Truth must prevail; I have realized danger of the silence conspiracy to erase anything African in the face of the earth. The fact that civilization of man started in African has disappeared from the pages of history books, even pyramids of Egypt to some people were built by aliens, It is too good to be African; if given a chance to recreate the map of Africa, Egypt and some part of South African will definitely be carved out of the map to serve their purpose.

There have been conflicting records of when Europeans came in contact with African Art. With due respect to our art historians who have made references to 1905 as the year of European first contact with African Art as widely documented. I beg to disagree. We should not forget the looting of Benin Art treasures. The Punitive Expedition of 1897 was a military excursion by a British force of 1,200 under Admiral Sir Harry Rawson that captured, burned, and looted the city of Benin, incidentally bringing to an end the highly sophisticated West African Kingdom of Benin.

Secondly, the Scramble for Africa (or the Rat Race for Africa) was the proliferation of conflicting European claims to African territory during the New Imperialism period, between the 1880s and the start of World War I. This era was more of art and treasures than territories. You are free to disagree. You can as well tell me of any other continent; that has suffered massive global extortion and exploitation of arts and culture. A visit to museums around the world will shade more light on this.
The earliest documented entry of a piece of African art into a European collection occurred around 1470, with a work that a Portuguese collector acquired from the kingdom of Kongo.

Please permit me to introduce the so called founder of cubism and modern art, Picasso and his rivalry and partner in plagiarism Matisse, who were first European avant-garde artist collectors of African Art. His full name was Pablo (or Pablito) Diego Jose Santiago Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispin Crispiniano de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz Blasco y Picasso Lopez. We know him today as simply Picasso.

Pablo was born to father, who was also an artist, known as José Ruiz y Blasco; his mother was Maria Picasso y Lopez. His earliest paintings were signed Pablo Ruiz after his father, but around 1901 he started using his mother's name, Picasso. He studied graphics in Spain and graduated in 1900.
Pablo was among the long list of bored minds, whose art of imitation and copying couldn't sustain. He found himself in a nasty dance of poverty and isolation because no artist would want to risk their creations with a copy artist like Picasso. Shortly after graduation He moved to France 1901 where he quickly laid his hands on African art works. In his words I do not seek. I find. You can imagine the innocent creations of African masters in the hands of a man who had copied art most of youthful age. Pablo believed that Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.

Modern art is simply a conspiracy child of racism and imperialism. The so-called founder had these to say. Today, as you know, I am famous and very rich. But when completely alone with myself, I haven't the nerve to consider myself an artist in the great and ancient sense of the word. There have been great painters like Giotto, Titian, Rembrandt and Goya. I am only a public entertainer who has understood his time. What was his time? It was said the confession is good for the soul.

In the part 1 of this article I mentioned the conspiracy of European avant-garde artists, art collectors, art critics, art historians and imperialist to create away out of their creative drought using African Art as escape goat. The artistic elite was mainly concerned with the rejection of academic tradition. African art became a source of inspiration for these artists who were searching for systems of representation other than naturalism and illusionism. The critic front-runner of this group was the French art critic Louis Vauxcelles who coined the term Cubism after seeing the landscapes Braque had painted in 1908 at L'Estaque in emulation of Cézanne. Vauxcelles called the geometric forms in the highly abstracted works "cubes."

Louis Vauxcelles (1870-?) was an influential French art critic. To him are attributed the terms Fauvism (1905), and cubism. Vauxcelles coined the phrase 'les fauves' (translated as 'wild beasts') to describe a circle of painters associated with Matisse as well as the audiences who criticised them (he couldn't decide which were more arrogant).But an artist can demonstrate zero proof of his artistic ability in the context of established representative visual art, yet he could end up as a master of modern art? Tell me you smell something funny about this too.

The Cubist painters rejected their inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening. They wanted instead to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. So they reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, and then realigned these within a shallow, reliefs like space. They also used multiple or contrasting vantage points. Louis Vauxcelles and his group were not interested in professionalism but escapism and name calling for the propagation of their supremacy vision. Pablo had them all fooled; the agony is that many are still fooled till date. I guest because of their common denominator of hate and racist drive, none really cared about the long time effect of their deceit.

In the words of Pablo the founder of your modern art; an artist must know how to convince others of the truth of his lies. The people who make art their business are mostly imposters. There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. How naïve can you be, the man who had over 100 African art in his collection, copied and made money of them do not believe in abstraction.

Lets look into more facts in the part 3 coming soon.

Fighting Fit - Martial Arts and Weight loss

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we list the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

1. Doing martial arts for weight loss

It's no coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and producers of exercise videos and DVD's are now heavily incorporating training techniques and exercises from a wide variety of martial arts in their workouts.

Boxercise, Tae Bo, Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Fu Aerobics, and personal trainers using punching bags, focus mitts and kicking pads in their sessions are just a couple of examples of how martial arts training is being used in cardio workouts for fitness and weight loss.

Because martial art training is typically high intensity and usually lasts for at least an hour in most cases, it burns a maximum number of kilojoules or calories per workout and is therefore great for anyone who wants to lose weight and lose it fast.

2. Doing martial arts for fitness

Most martial arts incorporate exercises and drills that improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, help build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility so they are perfect for anyone wanting to improve their overall fitness.

Cardiovascular fitness improvements require us to regularly elevate our heart rate for extended periods and most martial arts training can help us do that.

Improving the strength, size and shape of our muscles requires us to regularly subject them to some form of resistance training. Martial arts training helps provide this training by requiring us to perform exercises like push-ups and squats using our own body weight for resistance.

Improved flexibility is a natural byproduct of martial arts training because most, if not all styles of martial art incorporate stretching exercises in their workouts.

As a result of providing all of these fitness benefits, martial artists like boxers and kickboxers are widely regarded as being among the fittest athletes in the world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc are considered among the strongest pound-for-pound and most flexible athletes in the world.

3. Doing martial arts and self-defense

One of the most obvious benefits of doing a martial art is that it provides us with the fitness, strength, skill and techniques necessary to protect ourselves from being attacked by others who are out to harm us if the need should ever arise.

Like an insurance policy, we hope you're never in a position to have to use your martial arts training to defend yourself, but it's great to know this ability is there just in case.

Because they are primarily concerned with elevating our heart rates to burn energy and improve our fitness, many of the workouts listed above like Tae Bo, Boxercise, etc don't really provide this benefit to the same extent as doing martial arts training with a dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that only provides one service - to teach you a specific martial art.

Many people mistakenly believe that because they punch a focus mitt 50 times during a session with their personal trainer that they know how to punch properly and can therefore defend themselves if they need to. This is a big mistake and we hope these people never find themselves in a situation where this belief is tested.

Unless they've had many years of martial arts training themselves, most personal trainers and gym instructors will not be able to offer advice about your punching and kicking technique, they are only really qualified to hold the focus mitts or kick-pad for you while you punch or kick them.

Remember, while probably great at what they do, these trainers are more like aerobics instructors than specifically qualified martial arts instructors.

4. Doing martial arts and self-confidence

In addition to providing us with the ability to defend ourselves, one of the greatest personal benefits that martial art training provides is a high degree of self-confidence.

This self-confidence partly results from the knowledge that we are much better equipped to defend ourselves given that we have done some martial arts training, but it also comes from a sense of achievement once we begin to master the techniques taught to us and the new confidence that results from feeling fitter and stronger and looking fitter and stronger.

Given that one of the first things to suffer, and one of the hardest things to reestablish afterwards, when we become overweight is our self-confidence this benefit is of particular value to those of us who have a weight problem.

5. Doing martial arts to improve body balance and coordination

As well as helping us to become fitter and stronger, martial art training typically involves the mastery of a range of techniques that requires us to be well-balanced and have superior body coordination.

In learning to master these techniques we naturally improve our balance and our coordination which helps us with other aspects of our daily life.

6. Doing martial arts for variety

Martial art training provides great variety in two ways.

Firstly, martial arts training sessions themselves have great variety built into them by including warm-ups and cool-downs, stretching exercises, strength building exercises, cardio exercises and exercises designed to improve and teach us a wide variety of techniques.

This variety is great for our mind as well as our body.

Secondly, there are such a wide variety of martial arts to study that we should be able to easily find one that suits our particular goals and interests.

Whether we prefer to do a martial art that primarily revolves around striking or grappling techniques or a perfect mix of both, or we want to study a highly technical or very simple style, the choice is great.

7. Doing martial arts teaches discipline and provides motivation

Everybody knows that studying a martial art requires and teaches discipline.

Because it is also goal orientated, training in one of the many martial arts also provides a great deal of motivation.

Lack of discipline and motivation are the most often quoted reasons for weight loss failures and for this reason, doing a martial art for weight loss and fitness may help many of us who lack the required discipline and motivation to achieve our weight loss goals to overcome these common barriers to success.

8. Doing martial arts for spirituality

One definition of spirituality is "Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact."

Martial art training has been practiced by millions of people over many centuries because among other things, it has a great ability to spiritually uplift us.

As well as forging a better connection between our mind and body, it also has the ability to forge a better connection between us and our world and us and others.

9. Doing martial arts training is relatively inexpensive

Compared to joining some gyms and hiring some personal trainers, training at a martial arts school or dojo is relatively inexpensive.

Many martial arts schools charge a very modest monthly fee for training and the beauty of this is you can train when and as often as it suits you.

In addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a uniform and any equipment you may need to train in most cases will be relatively inexpensive as well.

10. Doing martial arts has a social aspect

Many people who start doing martial arts training for weight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end up enjoying it most for its social aspects.

As well as training and learning with others with similar goals, many martial arts trainees help encourage and motivate each other and end up becoming very good friends.

Many martial arts instructors too have very friendly dispositions and foster a fun and friendly environment in which to train which endears them to their students who typically also become close friends.

Conclusion

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we listed the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

The Museum of Buddhist Art - A Rare Collection of Buddha Statues

The Museum of Buddhist Art in Bangkok is reputed to have the biggest collection of Buddha statues, sculptures and figurines based on Buddhist art work from kingdoms dating back to the 6th century AD. The exhibits reflect the cultural heritage of the various kingdoms in Thailand and neighboring kingdoms as well.

Visitors to the Museum of Buddhist Art are usually advised to start their tour in an annex to the main building that houses the Kuan Yin Palace and Museum which displays statues of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The courtyard outside this museum has six miniature wooden palaces housing Chinese deities.

The main theme of the Museum of Buddhist Art, however, is housed in eight rooms upstairs in the main building displaying Buddha statues, sculptures and figurines from the different kingdoms that had an impact on Thai art and culture.

The various schools of Buddhist art of each era blended with the previous and added its distinct touch. Detailed explanations are provided for the Buddha statues, their characteristics, different postures and subtle variations in the folds of the robes.

The museum is a useful source of knowledge for the scholar of Buddhist art and Buddha sculptures. The casual visitor, seeking an overview of an important aspect of Thai culture, would find this museum interesting as well.

Buddhist art from the various kingdoms displayed in the Museum of Buddhist Art

Dvaravati art (6th - 11th centuries AD)

Dvaravati art is based on the culture of the United Kingdom of Dvaravati in Nakhon Phahom, Central Thailand established by the Mon from Burma. The Buddhist art work of this period is based on the Southern India and Sri Lanka models.

Srivijaya art (7th - 14th centuries)

The Srivijaya kingdom covered Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula and Southern Thailand, right up to Surat Thani and Nakhon Sri Thammarat. The art form from this era had a rich mix of Indian, Khmer, Sri Lanka, Java and Sumatra cultures.

Khmer art (11th - 19th centuries)

From 6th - 14th centuries, the Khmer Empire in Cambodia ruled over Laos and northeastern Thailand (Isarn). Khmer art was to have an enduring legacy on Buddhist art work for centuries to come.

Burmese art (11th - 19th centuries)

Burmese art evolved from the various ethnic groups in the ancient Burmese kingdom of Pagan. The Burmese, Mon, Arakan, Tai-yai kingdoms developed Buddhist art during their respective reigns. All these groups had an influence on Thai art.

Sukhothai art (13th - 15th centuries)

Art flourished in the Sukhothai Kingdom under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng. Classic Sukhothai art soon emerged from the Khmer influence and established its unique style.

Ayuthaya art (1350 - 1767)

The exhibits on Ayuthaya art in the Museum of Buddhist Art represents the longest period in Thai art. Pre-Ayuthaya art was a combination of Khmer art of the Bayon period (the Bayon temples in Cambodia) and Dvaravati art, a mixture which was known as U Thong Art.

The establishment of Ayuthaya produced a blend of Khmer and Sukhothai styles which gradually evolved into its own distinctive character in the 16th century.

Lanna art (13th - 20th centuries)

The Lanna kingdom (Land of a Million Fields) was established by King Mengrai in northern Thailand in 1296. Pure Lanna art developed when the kingdom was independent. Lanna came under Burmese rule and later under Thai rule. The Buddha statues during these periods had their subtle differences.

Lan Xang art (14th - 18th centuries)

The Lan Xang kingdom (Land of a Million Elephants) was founded by King Fah Ngum in the 14th century after the fall of Sukhothai. The kingdom covered present day Laos and parts of northeastern Thailand. King Fah Ngum made Buddhism the state religion and so began an art form that also left its mark on Buddhist art.

Thonburi art (1767 - 1782)

Thonburi art had a brief period as the kingdom lasted for only 15 years.

Rattanakosin art (1782 - present)

What followed was Rattanakosin art of the modern Bangkok era. The Buddha statues and sculptures during the reign of the Chakri Kings developed a distinct identity of their own.

The other eight rooms in the Museum of Buddhist Art are not directly related to the central theme but are equally interesting. These cover artifacts from the pre-historic Ban Chiang culture, Yao paintings, stone sculptures.

An unusual set of exhibits in this museum is the room displaying statues of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, a reflection of the religious tolerance in Buddhist society.

The Museum of Buddhist Art embodies not just the art and culture evolved for more than a millennium through the rise and fall of several kingdoms. It symbolizes the philosophy of moderation and tolerance, values that serve as a beacon of light in these troubled times.

For more Bangkok Museums.

Is Art a "Pseudo Statement?"

We all are familiar with terms like self expression, catharsis or inner exposure, art is supposed to give vent to all the feelings, emotions, sensations, thoughts, ideas or thesis, we revolve around or try to do so, either they are religious, philosophical, psychological, ethical, romantic or sensual, we always want to share these emotions with others, so, created different ways of expression that mostly come under the comprehensive meanings of art. Right from the stone age or even before it, expression on solid rocks in the form of symbols, shapes and lines could be seen and understand even today with the full zeal and zest, that was present in the ancient human being at the time of creating those early sketches, in a very true, direct and enthusiastic way, that is still the source of finding the foot steps of early human civilization to enhance the modern one.

Art goes through different passions. When Classicism determined the hard and fast rules for any literary or artwork, all art that was art, was of divine origin it was the "witness of the glory of God". As a reaction, Romanticism sprouted out as a fresh wave of pure inner and individual point of view, then Expressionism, Impressionism and Realism added or tried to add some weight in the idea of "Expression" according to the desire and demand of an individual as well as the society. This force of let others know what we feel & how other should feel in a particular subject, drove Art into the geometrical thinking of Cubism and later on by breaking its edges adopted abstraction, not only just in subjects but also in shapes and colors. Dadaism also played its role up to some extent but it was just a quick baseless rejection of everything, without having any solid grounds for Judgment or criticism.

But if we look at art as a serious tool or way of real expression of soul then we will have to agree with Croc'ce, an Italian "Intellectual of Aesthetics". He said, "Art is nothing else than mere expression of perception." According to him a piece of art, even before created on canvass, is actually got shape in the artist's mind.
Knowledge is either imparted through intellect or images, and images do influence intellect or intellect has to carry itself through images. A complete expression is a blend of soul and perception through images.
Art conveys aesthetic perception of an artist to others, it can carry and convey sound, moments, contours, colors and words and make an artist's expression, a complete impression.

This is 21st century, the age of IT, where, not only colors, contours and shapes are enough, but also something more has made the viewer to chose and select by choice. The term "Multimedia" has broaden the vast of art to sounds, movements, changing colors and shades, and so the ideas, views and modes. No one has got ample time to ponder over, either it's the artist or the viewer, even the art itself running short of time to penetrate. Artist wants to produce masterpieces overnight, viewer is keen to have countless unique interests under his belt, so the art itself has lost its shelf life, paintings are hanged, sculptures are exhibited and then after few days everything is packed for good.

We, then refer to the photographs, journals, catalogues and websites, as there is no time to wander around in the galleries and try to absorb art from its own original flare or freshness. Now the most popular idea behind any art is "the artist's job is only to show". But even modern attitude will find it difficult to show creativity without imagination, so, without imagination, the best of art, might get the status of just a shadow or imitation. The quantitative aspect is over whelming the qualitative aspect.

New age is fast, and furious too. Now specific fields are not just bound to certain people, it's not the time when art is just confined to elites only. Today the idea of "everything for everyone" has brought about the change in art lover lobbies. Now there is another bunch of art lovers or if I could say them art critics who have nothing to do with the philosophies of subjects or the subtleties of technique, but they have every interest with the so called criticism on art as they have the opportunity to look at the art pieces by virtue of their contacts or habit of having a look at everything. That's why globally, very few real and true art critics are seen, while in our country, we have to be satisfied whatever is available in this regard as there is not much published and discussed on regular basis.

Once some body said, "the test of utmost fine-ness in execution in these arts is that they make themselves be forgotten in what they represent". This is the most ideal form for an artist and the viewer to be drowned in the magic of an art piece, but we all know, no body has got so much time in this crazy world now a day for such a practice. That's why we always take and give a bird's eye view; even the artist himself wants the economy of thoughts and ideas along with paints and strokes in his masterpiece.

No time for realism or super realism to present objects as the are in real life, camera is a better option for such practice, but the thing is, it does matter a lot that how much artist's interest and soul is reflected even in those simple and few strokes and straight forward ideas. The main feature of art is to convey the original message of artist's mind to the viewer. I.A. Richards, a European critic has the belief that any art or literature is created due to an active chain of interests in the creator's mind, and these very interests got activated in the mind of reader or viewer, when conveyed to him. So, art is always to carry something to others from its creator, and if it lacks in it, the art is not of great par.

There has always been a disbelief in ordinary minds that why we need such an intricate source to express even simple thoughts or emotions? Thoughts and emotions are never simple enough to be expressed through language only, actually our emotions are symbolic representation of our nature and attitude, and these very things are not as simple as one can guess, it is a chain of continuously changing phenomenon that affects our personality so much that we need to take something out of us. So the art, being the way of expression, is not simple to understand at all. One needs to take it at two different levels of understanding, one is emotional or imaginative and the other is intellectual level, but both are interlinked in comprehending an art piece as the skill and talent are, in the case of creating one. And this is not a "pseudo statement" at all.

So the imagination on which the art is based is the soil where it got its roots, therefore all the "Isms" were and are action or reaction of changing human mind collectively, which, afterwards change the society as well in a positive manner with reference of subjective atmosphere.

I conclude with a line of Shelley, he said, "Imagination is the organ of moral nature of man." So we can say that the art, as being based upon that very Imagination can and do determine the moral values in human minds and society as well.