THAWAN DUCHANEE (1939 - 2014)

Thawan Duchanee was born in the northern province of Chiang Rai in 1939. He studied under the late Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, also known as Silpa Bhirasri, who first introduced modern art practice into Thailand. Later on Duchanee continued his education at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of Western artistic traditions. Following his return to Thailand, Duchanee created a unique visual language which fused traditional Thai aesthetics and Buddhist motifs, with a sense of Western modernism. Marked in Duchanee's l compositions are the sense of swirling, almost ferocious, energy and explosive painterly expression. Duchanee favors bright colors and a bold pictorial line, seen particularly in this early work The Harvesters, dated to 1964. Unlike Duchanee's later works which focused on Buddhist-centric beasts and demons rendered with an almost primitive quality; Duchanee's earlier works carry a sense of narration and reflection upon nationalist sentiments. These works can be seen as a transition between European genre scenes, Duchanee's strongly realized modernist aesthetic, and his meditation upon the traditional Thai way of life. Within The Harvesters, the five figures working in the threshing field are dynamically interpreted by Duchanee's brush. Every muscle and sinew of their torsos is clearly articulated, and there is a rolling sense of Matisse-like movement in the flow of the composition. It is a superb and elegant example of Duchanee's mastery and clearly illustrates his status as Thailand's leading modern painter.