An Italian artist in Bangkok

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in June, when I decided to go down to Central Chitlom in Bangkok to view the art exhibition of Galileo Chini.

Chini was an Italian artist from Florence who was commissioned by King Rama V in 1910 to paint the murals on the domed ceiling of the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall.

This throne hall was designed by two Italian architects, Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti, who were responsible for several other majestic structures in Bangkok.

The masterpieces by Chini, who arrived in Thailand in 1911, are now a national treasure and art legacy. However, the exhibition also revealed the painstaking preparations and studies Chini undertook to familiarize himself with the country he has never visited before.

He toured old Siam learning and photographing scenes in the country, the architecture, culture and customs, dress and the way of life.

As his job required murals of the first six kings of the Chakri dynasty, he studied the character and major contribution of each reign, the royal regalia and ceremonies.

Chini’s murals captured the essence of each reign in a masterly fashion.

• King Rama I known for his military prowess when he repelled a massive Burmese invasion and put an end to their constant threats
• Kings Rama II and Rama III for their contribution to art and literature,
• King Rama IV for his piety, he spent 27 years in monkhood before his accession to the throne
• King Rama V for his far-reaching social and political reforms including the abolishment of slavery
• King Rama VI, the builder under whose reign the throne hall and several other grand buildings were completed.

The exhibits show Chini initiation to life in old Siam, his preparations for the murals in the throne hall, scenes of old Siam with oils, water colors and sketches.

Chini’s artistic talents weren’t limited to painting or drawing. He delved into Oriental ceramics as well, painting the designs before transferring them onto ceramics.

His crowning glory was the use of his artistry in opera. Turandot, an opera based on a Chinese princess in the Forbidden City of Imperial China, was Giacomo Puccini’s last masterpiece. Chini created the sets for Turandot, although he’s never been to China.

The opera was first performed in Milan in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. In September 1998, Turandot opened in Beijing under the baton of maestro Zubin Mehta. The complete set of Galileo Chini’s photos, sketches, oils and ceramics were donated by Chini’s grand-daughter Paola Polidori Chini to the National Archives of Thailand in 2002. Chini’s family has also presented selected oil paintings to the Thai royal family.

In June 2008, these exhibits were on display at the Event Hall of Central Chitlom. The event was jointly organized by the Italian Embassy, Chulalongkorn University and Central to commemorate 140 years of Italian Thai relations.

For the splendor of the throne hall mentioned earlier, please see Ananda Samakhon Throne Hall This article first appeared in the July issue Bangkok Travelbug the newsletter of Tour Bangkok Legacies. To subscribe to this newsletter, please see the Bangkok Travelbug subscription page.