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Lot Essay
Damrong Wong-Uparaj was born in the Pan district of Chiang Rai, Thailand. As a young artist, under a grant from the British Council, he studied at the illustrious Slade School of Fine Art, part of the University College of London. He was awarded the J.D. Rockefeller 3rd Fund Fellowship for his Master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania, and also received further grants for research visits to various European and Asian countries. His wide and early exposure to foreign influences led him to develop a highly progressive aesthetic in various formats; ranging from traditional Thai subjects rendered in modernist style to purely abstract compositions.
Christie's is pleased to present three distinctive yet highly different works by Damrong Wong-Uparaj from the 1960s, an important mid period within the artist's career and during which time many seminal creations were produced which contributed to his rise and acclaim.
Farm Landscape (Lot 291) is an impressive example of Damrong's pastoral landscapes. Deeply fascinated by the rural way of life in Thailand's provinces, the artist explores elements of this existence through portraying landscapes of buildings, vegetation and farming crops. However, most of these works lack the presence of people and prioritize inanimate objects instead to articulate an impression of Thai daily life; in this instance farming implements and Buddhist stupas which portrays the incorporation of religious devotion into the everyday vernacular.
Vela - Abstract Formation (Lot 292) reveals a different aspect to Damrong's practice. Within this fully abstract work, Damrong investigates the singularity of gestural forms when juxtaposed against spatial positioning and the use of primary colors. Non-representational, it instead uses a sense of energy to create visual impact. To the artist, energy is derived through various things: the energy of life existence, from religion, from relationships, and this intangible principle is translated visibly on to his canvas.
Finally Three Thai Women Weaving Fronds into Baskets (Lot 293) showcases Damrong's figurative studies. A more traditionally-styled work, it also encompasses a higher degree of realism and detail. The vertical perspective and tightly cropped space still disclose Damrong's modernist tendencies, yet this intimate portrayal of farming folk is, at its core, a homage to the simpler way of life.
Christie's is pleased to present three distinctive yet highly different works by Damrong Wong-Uparaj from the 1960s, an important mid period within the artist's career and during which time many seminal creations were produced which contributed to his rise and acclaim.
Farm Landscape (Lot 291) is an impressive example of Damrong's pastoral landscapes. Deeply fascinated by the rural way of life in Thailand's provinces, the artist explores elements of this existence through portraying landscapes of buildings, vegetation and farming crops. However, most of these works lack the presence of people and prioritize inanimate objects instead to articulate an impression of Thai daily life; in this instance farming implements and Buddhist stupas which portrays the incorporation of religious devotion into the everyday vernacular.
Vela - Abstract Formation (Lot 292) reveals a different aspect to Damrong's practice. Within this fully abstract work, Damrong investigates the singularity of gestural forms when juxtaposed against spatial positioning and the use of primary colors. Non-representational, it instead uses a sense of energy to create visual impact. To the artist, energy is derived through various things: the energy of life existence, from religion, from relationships, and this intangible principle is translated visibly on to his canvas.
Finally Three Thai Women Weaving Fronds into Baskets (Lot 293) showcases Damrong's figurative studies. A more traditionally-styled work, it also encompasses a higher degree of realism and detail. The vertical perspective and tightly cropped space still disclose Damrong's modernist tendencies, yet this intimate portrayal of farming folk is, at its core, a homage to the simpler way of life.