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Arts in Southeast Asia Database
PaintingPha Taem Prehistoric Color Painting
It can be divided into 4 groups according to the name and the position of the cliff, they are Pha Kham, Pha Taem, Pha Mon Noi, and Pha Mon. They are all facing the east.1. Pha KhamIt shows a painting of 4 large fishes approximately 0.35 - 1.00 meters long written in a red x-ray style to see the internal structure. In addition, there is a painting of an elephant which is much smaller than a fish (about 13 cm) and a painting of a quadruped.2. Pha TaemThere are paintings all along the cliff. They are 180 meters long and about 4 - 5 meters above the ground. There are more than 300 color paintings at Pha Taem. There are paintings created by the rain gouging into the rock creating some lines patterns; some are straight, some are arranged along a straight line, some oblique, some horizontal. They are from 5 - 15 centimeters in height. The remaining section is only about 80 centimeters long and they are possibly some iconic images. Most of the color paintings in this area are written in red, only some are in black and white divided into small sizes of human paintings and only 10 of them were found.Paintings of animals such as elephants, fish, turtles or snapping turtle, dog, cow, chicken or bird etc. are often painted as large as the real thing, especially elephant and fish whose size is up to 4 meters long and about 3 meters high. There are about 30 animal paintings found and both human and animal paintings are often in motion.Object paintings. This could be a fishing tool called a "Toom" and a crossbow or bow that a person is holding.Geometrical motifs. The motifs are in twisted, wavy or zigzag lines that can refer to “water” or a fish trap. They are also in herringbone, geometric, parallel lines that looks like ricefields, etc.Human hands. There are more than 200 hands, both of children and adults. The colors are red, black, and white. All types of paintings are always drawn together, especially the hands that appear in every painting.Most of the paintings are silhouette. Others are outlines and stick men. The human hand paintings are stencils, imprints, and outlines.3. Pha Mon NoiThis section shows a painting of a person about 1.6 meters tall holding a bow aimed at a four-legged animal, possibly a pregnant cow with the body size of 6.4 meters long. Next to that is a painting of a person about 1.2 meters tall chasing a horned four-legged animal which might be a deer that invaded the ricefields. surrounding this group of paintings are paintings of about 20 hands, both left hands and right hands created by putting the paint on the palm then scraping off some of the paint on the fingers and palms and then imprinting the hand on the wall. Next is a painting of three four-legged animals with bloated bellies and it looks like they are pregnant as well. There is a drawing that is similar to the net of an animal trap and also paintings of connected parallel lines. There are, in addition, 15 human hands paintings arranged in long wavy lines. They are similar to the ones of the first group. Paintings of people and animals were painted in red silhouette. It is noteworthy that all types of paintings at Pha Taem and Pha Mon Noi are related. Whether it is a picture of a person and a cow with hands, fish and hands, ‘Toom’ with hands, geometrical motifs of ricefields, people, and deer with hands, or a painting of a person hunting a cow or a deer.4. Pha MonIn this section, there are paintings of people and animals written in red silhouette.In this first group, there is only a painting of a single person and 11 four-legged animals, possibly elephants, cows, dogs and pigs, or sheep or goats, walking in the same direction. (Except for one animal, possibly a dog that is facing the herd)In the second group, there are paintings of about 10 people drawn in silhouette and stickmen. They all look quite realistic, even their calves are aneurysms. An interesting painting of the Pha Mon is the painting of a person wearing a half-calf length skirt standing with arms akimbo, not sure whether it is a woman or a man. This painting is larger than other paintings. Moreover, they are paintings of the right hands of adults, 2 paintings in stencil, 2 imprinted paintings, and 2 imprinted paintings of children hands. It can be noticed that there are always paintings of hands appearing in all 4 groups of paintings. This could refer to a cooperation in doing an activity such as fishing. cultivating, raising animals, or hunting. This shows that the illustrators might be in agricultural society and they may share common belief in fertility.
PaintingKhao Chan Ngam Prehistoric color paintings
All paintings are in red color. They are 2-4 meters above the ground. Past studies of the Fine Arts Department and Silpakorn University classified the paintings that were found into 12 groups according to the position found. There are 44 paintings altogether, 32 human paintings, 5 animal paintings (dog, birds or chicken, lizard? porcupine? tiger?), a painting of a bow and an arrow. And 5 paintings that are unable to identify. 2 painting techniques used are silhouette and outline. Most people in the paintings have large calves wearing sarong but no shirt. Women in the paintings have a bird's tail hanging from the waist and form a tassel on their head.Group 1: These are the most prominent and important set of paintings on the east stone wall with the size of 1x2 meters. The paintings are silhouette. There are 2 rows (top and bottom) of a group of 14 people, both male and female, children and adults, and a picture of a dog. Details are as follows:Top row: It is a painting of 3 people. The first person shows only half the body without the head. The second person is standing with his arms open and there is cloth with the striped hem spread out from both sides of the waist. The painting was drawn from a straight angle but the person in the painting is turning his face to the right. The side of the third person is displayed. He is turning his face to a different direction from the second person. This is a painting with a neck, some parts of the body, and thighs missing. Bottom row: It is a painting of people walking in a line. The first painting of the bottom row is about 30 centimeters below the top row. It is a painting of a person standing in a position of shooting arrows with an arrow already being shot out from the bow. The painting shows the side view of the person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the outer hem of the cloth is with stripes. The back leg of the person was shifted. Next to this painting is the painting of a male dog with upright ears and sword tail. Its body is long and thin. Below the painting of the dog is a painting of 2 persons, one is a man and another one is a woman. One is sitting with the knees up and another one has the top naked with a big belly and a tail like a bird. It seems like they are talking in the painting. Next to that is a painting of a person standing with arms akimbo wearing two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. The right arm is raised up to the elbow. The painting shows the side of the person. About 20 centimeters from this painting is a painting of a hunchback person with hair on the head, cloth hanging from the front and the back and the front hem of the cloth is with stripes. The right hand is stretching out to hold an object like a cane. In front of this painting is a painting of a person standing with both arms raised as if the person is performing a traditional dance. The back thigh is missing. Next is a painting of a side view of woman performing a traditional dance. In front of the woman is a person stretching out the arms with a veil and there is a cross on the back of the veil. Next to that is a painting of 2 children performing a traditional dance. One child is raising up both of the arms and another one is raising up the right arm while the left arm akimbo. They wear two pieces of clothes covering the front and the back. Following that is a faint red painting. Group 2: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall near the paintings of group 1, but they are on a different stone wall. There is a clear painting of a person running or performing a traditional dance while looking back. The detail from the knees to the toes are missing. This side of the wall has a trace of painting, but has completely faded and only red stripes can be seen. Group 3: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of a man catching a reptile that looks like a chameleon, an iguana, or a lizard. There are 3 zigzag lines not far from the painting of the person.Group 4: Located on the eastern side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people with no head in a standing position. Two of them are wearing cloth like short skirts above the knee.Group 5: Located on the western side of the stone wall. It is a painting of 3 people standing next to a painting of an animal that looks like a hedgehog or a wild boar. 2 painting techniques were used, silhouette and outline. The animal and the person standing in front of the animal were drawn in outline. Another painting of the person in a running position wearing cloth that covers the front and the back is in silhouette. Group 6: A painting of 3 people. The most completed person is in the center of the painting. It is a painting of a man spreading his arms out wearing cloth that covers the front and the back. The details from the knees and lower are missing. It can be assumed that the person is performing a traditional dance. The other 2 paintings are not completed, one with half of the top part of the body missing and another one with the lower part starting from the hip is missing. Group 7: A painting of an animal that looks like a lion or a tiger. There are 5 red dots in front of the animal caused by some missing colors.Group 8: A painting of 2 people performing a traditional dance. The painting shows only the top part of the body, the bottom part is missing. Group 9: A painting of a person with the arms raised. One side of the tip of the arm and the leg are missing. There are vertical stripes drawn on the side of the person. That maybe the person painting that has faded (?) Group 10 A painting of a person with no head and the body is in a curling position. Group 11 There are three paintings that all may be paintings of 3 people, but the paintings are faded and unclear. Group 12 A painting of a half-body person with the right arm spread out and the left arm paralleled to the ground.
