300 years old but gone in 10 minutes
Rough & ugly mural repainting at 300-year old Lampang temple complain locals & experts. Abbot responsible unrepentant.
Rough & ugly mural repainting at 300-year old Lampang temple complain locals & experts. Abbot responsible unrepentant.
Photo of a restored painting on a pillar inside the hall of Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang in Lampang that looks quiet different from the original. Photo below of the golden deva mural on the door of the vihara of the Wat has been lost as a result of poor restoration work, some residents say (Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard).
Click button to listen to Lampang Murals to download
Abbot faces outcry over restoration
Efforts to repair temple murals might be harming rather than helping them
27/03/2012
Piyaporn Wongruang 
The abbot at Phra That Lampang Luang temple is facing down a public outcry over the restoration work, which is funded, planned and supervised by the Fine Arts Department.
The Lampang temple hired the Chor Fah company to do the work, but many residents and visitors say the result looks garish and rough.
The abbot, however, is unrepentant.
"There is not much damage to old art. It's just like you have a new dress that is not washed yet. So it would be a bit hard to touch," Phra Kru Pithan Noppakij said, referring to the restoration work.
Some believe the restoration work has damaged much of the temple's traditional northern art, including gold-painted murals that are over 300 years old.
Phra That Lampang Luang temple houses the most complete collection of the native Lanna art of northern Thailand.
Its prayer halls are famous for Lai Kham, a type of mural art made by a special technique called hai dok that is unique to the northern region.
Using this technique, an artist would coat an object in gold before using a sharp tool to draw or paint on it.
Since the restoration work began, however, some Lai Kham designs on the pillars and the doors of the prayer halls have been painted over with stark golden tints.
This includes the famous two-metre angel drawing on the Viharn Phra Buddha praying hall.
The temple has the only Lai Kham mural art left in the North and there are no contemporary artists who know the technique well enough to help restore them properly, Surachai Jongjitngam, an expert on the traditional mural art of northern Thailand, said.
Phra Kru Pithan said the temple and its mural art have been damaged by the passage of time and needed urgent restoration.
The abbot said he has no problem with the quality of the restoration. The golden tint may come across as too harsh but he would ask the company to correct it, he said.
Anek Sihamat, deputy director of the Fine Arts Department, inspected the temple yesterday and said the work on the mural art is too rough and needs correcting. Experts are discussing the best way to do this, he said.
Defending the Fine Arts Department, Mr Anek said state supervision of restoration work is often compromised by the assertiveness of temple administrators who try to shape their temples in the way they like.
Mr Anek claimed Phra That Lampang Luang temple administrators wanted to brighten the mural paintings, and the craftsmen did as asked.
Following a public uproar, the department has now ordered a halt to the restoration work on the mural art.
While the temple and the department are trying to figure out how best to fix the problem, residents around the temple complained their concerns have been largely ignored.
Bunning Pinkaew, a resident at tambon Lampang Luang, said she wants those undertaking the work to be more careful since the precious artwork cannot be recovered once damaged.
One village head said many residents disagree with the plan but they do not want to take any action as the temple now belongs to the Fine Arts Department.
"I don't know what to do since our temple now belongs to the department, not the community," he said.
One worker on site said most of them have hardly any knowledge of ancient art. They are just doing their best to follow restoration orders and to avoid smashing the historic artwork, he said.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Abbot faces outcry over restoration, Efforts to repair temple murals might be harming rather than helping them, 27/03/2012, Piyaporn Wongruang, link)
Art Restoration Vocabulary
Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang - a Lanna-style Buddhist temple in Lampang in Lampang Province, Thailand.วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง (See Wikipedia and Images at Wikimedia Commons and Google Images)
murals - very large paintings (on buildings, for example)
gold-painted murals
deva - a god-like beings who are more powerful, longer-lived, and live a more contented life than the average human being (See Wikipedia)
deva mural
vihara - a Buddhist monastery; a residence for monks, a centre for religious work and meditation and a centre of Buddhist learning (See Wikipedia)
abbot - the head monk at a temple เจ้าอาวาส
resident - a person who lives in a particular area ผู้อาศัยในบริเวณ ผู้พักอาศัย, ผู้อยู่อาศัยในบริเวณ ประชาชนที่อาศัยในท้องที่
residents - people who live in an area ผู้อยู่อาศัย ชาวบ้านในบริเวณ ผู้อาศัยในบริเวณ ราษฎรในบริเวณนั้น
repair - to fix something that is broken or damaged ซ่อมบำรุง
restore (verb) - bringing something back to its original condition
restoration (noun) - art restoration
poor restoration work
art restoration - bringing a piece of artwork or architecture back to its original state, condition and appearance (See Wikipedia)
outcry - public reaction of strong anger and disapproval การคัดค้านอย่างรุนแรง
abbot faces outcry over restoration
Efforts to repair temple murals might be harming rather than helping them
claim - something that someone says is true, but not yet proven
deny claim - when someone claims that someone's claim is not true
precious - valuable; worth a lot of money; rare or very necessary; loved or valued ที่มีค่าสูงส่ง มีค่า,ล้ำค่า
precious mural art - valuable mural art
precious mural art under his care - valuable mural art that he is looking after and taking care of
A temple abbot is denying residents' claims that precious mural art under his care has been damaged by poor restoration work.
facing down a public outcry over the restoration work
funded - given money บริจาค money provided for operation of a business or organisation ให้ความช่วยเหลือทางการเงิน ให้เงินลงทุน
supervised - overseen; watched over to ensure that things are done correctly อยู่ในการควบคุมดูแล
The abbot at Phra That Lampang Luang temple is facing down a public outcry over the restoration work, which is funded, planned and supervised by the Fine Arts Department.
garish - very bright and colourful in an ugly way หรูหรา,ฉูดฉาดเกินไป
rough - not calm or smooth มีคลื่นมาก
The Lampang temple hired the Chor Fah company to do the work, but many residents and visitors say the result looks garish and rough.
repentant - feel sorry for something you did; feeling bad about some bad thing that you did (realize you did wrong, will not do it again) สำนึกผิด,เสียใจในความผิดที่กระทำไป,สำนึกบาป
unrepentant - do not feel sorry for something wrong you did
The abbot, however, is unrepentant. "There is not much damage to old art. It's just like you have a new dress that is not washed yet. So it would be a bit hard to touch," Phra Kru Pithan Noppakij said, referring to the restoration work.
traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.) that have been part of a country or society for a long time
traditional northern art
Some believe the restoration work has damaged much of the temple's traditional northern art, including gold-painted murals that are over 300 years old.
native - someone who was born in a particular place ชาวพื้นเมือง
native - in the country, run by local farmers (not started by the foreign sponsored project) พื้นบ้าน
unique - very special, unusual or good ที่มีลักษณะพิเศษ เป็นเอกลักษณ์
native Lanna art of northern Thailand
Phra That Lampang Luang temple houses the most complete collection of the native Lanna art of northern Thailand. Its prayer halls are famous for Lai Kham, a type of mural art made by a special technique called hai dok that is unique to the northern region.
coat - cover object with a layer of something like paint
coat an object in gold
using a sharp tool to draw or paint on it
Using this technique, an artist would coat an object in gold before using a sharp tool to draw or paint on it.
pillars - tall solid supports for a building เสาหิน ตอหม้อ หรือ คานรับน้ำหนัก
stark - harsh and unpleasant; clear in an unpleasant or frightening way ทื่อๆ ทนโท่ ชัดเจน
tint - color
stark golden tints
Since the restoration work began, however, some Lai Kham designs on the pillars and the doors of the prayer halls have been painted over with stark golden tints.
This includes the famous two-metre angel drawing on the Viharn Phra Buddha praying hall.
restore - to cause a particular situation to exist again, especially a good one ฟื้นฟูสภาพ
The temple has the only Lai Kham mural art left in the North and there are no contemporary artists who know the technique well enough to help restore them properly, Surachai Jongjitngam, an expert on the traditional mural art of northern Thailand, said.
damaged by the passage of time
urgent - must be done quickly; needing to be dealt with immediately ที่เร่งด่วน เหตุเร่งด่วน
needed urgent restoration
the quality of the restoration
harsh - อย่างรุนแรง
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
Phra Kru Pithan said the temple and its mural art have been damaged by the passage of time and needed urgent restoration. The abbot said he has no problem with the quality of the restoration. The golden tint may come across as too harsh but he would ask the company to correct it, he said. Anek Sihamat, deputy director of the Fine Arts Department, inspected the temple yesterday and said the work on the mural art is too rough and needs correcting. Experts are discussing the best way to do this, he said.
state - government รัฐ
supervision - the process of making sure that something is being done properly การควบคุมดูแล การตรวจตรา
state supervision - when the government manages a project
compromised - lost something important; less than the best (not as good as it could have been)
restoration work is compromised - restoration work not as good as it could have been
assertive (adjective) - forceful; acting confidentally; quick to assert what you think or feel about something
assertiveness (noun)
Defending the Fine Arts Department, Mr Anek said state supervision of restoration work is often compromised by the assertiveness of temple administrators who try to shape their temples in the way they like.
craftsmen - people who make beautiful or practical objects using their hands ช่างฝีมือ
uproar - angry public criticism of something ความวุ่นวาย
public uproar
halt - to stop หยุด หยุดนิ่ง
ordered a halt
Mr Anek claimed Phra That Lampang Luang temple administrators wanted to brighten the mural paintings, and the craftsmen did as asked. Following a public uproar, the department has now ordered a halt to the restoration work on the mural art.
figure out - solve the problem
fix the problem
concerns - worries ความกังวล
ignore - pretend or act like something does not exist; not consider it or let it influence you ทำเพิกเฉย
concerns ignored
complained their concerns have been largely ignored
undertaking - something difficult that you do ภาระกิจ
those undertaking the work
recovered - make better again ฟื้นฟู
precious artwork cannot be recovered once damaged
community - the people living in one particular area ชุมชน
While the temple and the department are trying to figure out how best to fix the problem, residents around the temple complained their concerns have been largely ignored. Bunning Pinkaew, a resident at tambon Lampang Luang, said she wants those undertaking the work to be more careful since the precious artwork cannot be recovered once damaged. One village head said many residents disagree with the plan but they do not want to take any action as the temple now belongs to the Fine Arts Department. "I don't know what to do since our temple now belongs to the department, not the community," he said.
site - a place where something happened ที่เกิดเหตุ สถานที่ สถานที่เกิดเหตุ
on site - at the place where work is being done
follow restoration orders
smashing - hitting and destroying
avoid smashing the historic artwork
One worker on site said most of them have hardly any knowledge of ancient art. They are just doing their best to follow restoration orders and to avoid smashing the historic artwork, he said.
