Wat Samet Mural Painting: Concepts, Forms, Values Related to Changes in Era

Abstract

This research study analyzes the concepts, beliefs, and styles of paintings related to values that can reflect social changes by linking history, local community lifestyles in Ang Sila, and the context of nearby areas in Chonburi Province. The research aims is 1) To study and analyze the characteristics, forms, structures, techniques, and use of color in the mural paintings at Wat Samet, highlighting differences from traditional Thai mural art. 2) To study and analyze the way of life of the Ang Sila community and Samet Subdistrict, as well as local conditions during the reign of King Rama V, and the narratives depicted in the murals through their compositional elements. And 3) To synthesize the concepts, beliefs, and values of people in that period, reflecting social changes during the reigns of King Rama IV–V, as expressed through the mural paintings at Wat Samet.
The research found that the structure of the mural paintings at Wat Samet is different from the traditional patterns inherited in the Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin periods. The artist has a free-thinking approach to presenting the story and re-arranging some elements. The wall behind the principal Buddha image still depicts the Traibhumi concept. The front wall depicts the worship of the Buddha’s footprint. The side walls depict the gathering of gods and the monks’ meditation on the impurities, which are very rare forms of painting. The style and technique are influenced by the Western style. The structure and use of colors are a combination of landscape principles, atmosphere of the image reflecting the coastal scenery in the past and the way of life of the community, fishing and trading, including Western- style architecture which was popular at the time. The shape of the hall and buildings in the painting are like recording contemporary events for the younger generation to understand the past from an artistic perspective. It is considered a period of development in traditional Thai mural painting, which combines old and new concepts, with a meaning of the transition from the traditional era to the expression of ideas in modern Siamese society.