Thawan Duchanee, Thailand's Larger-Than-Life National Artist, Passes Away at 74

THE NATION

Detailed view of Thawan Duchanee Untitled Work oil and gold leaf on canvas at MOCA.

THAILAND---Thawan Duchanee, the larger-than-life National Artist, passed away early yesterday. He was 74. Thawan developed a unique style, using black and red tones based on the styles of traditional Buddhist art to explore the darkness lurking within humanity. His pieces initially shocked many, who saw them as being blasphemous to the Buddhist religion, and some of his early exhibitions were attacked. However, he won backing from many leading Thai intellectuals. The late Kukrit Pramoj, for one, claimed "his art is to be understood as giving life to myth".[link]