THAO SURANAREE MONUMENT: POLITICAL LEGACY OF THE PEOPLE’S PARTY?

Abstract

         This article is a critical analysis of the “Thao Suranari Monument”, the memorial monument of Thao Suranari (also known as “Lady Mo”) based on the principles of art history. Taking into consideration all the relevant factors in historical and aesthetic context, the article encourages the reader to understand the distinctive and intelligent expressions of the artist. This will help create insights into this artistic work and recognition of the values it represents as well as an appreciation of its exquisiteness as a work of art. In the review section, some important controversial issues from the book titled “The Politics Involving the Thao Suranari Monument”, written by Saipin Kaewngamprasert, have been raised as a case study for comparative analysis and clarification purposes. Moreover, the discussion is also meant to illustrate the point that for any critical analysis of a “political and artistic issue”, it is prerequisite for a historian to do relevant in-depth research in order to understand, diagnose, and interpret art works correctly. This is because in interdisciplinary studies, without expertise in all of the fields involved, one could misinterpret some important information and be easily misled. This could in turn create a misunderstanding of parts of the history of Thailand.