Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, May 30, 2024: Praphan Srisouta, a Thai painter, woodcut artist (#2037)

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Artist of the Day, May 30, 2024: Praphan Srisouta, a Thai painter, woodcut artist (#2037)

Praphan Srisouta (1939) was born in Thailand. He received the grand prize in the field of woodcut-prints in 1961 and 1962. After that, he received numerous scholarships to study in Germany and the US as well as invitations to participate in several international exhibitions in Japan. Praphan is an international artist that Thailand is proud of.

Praphan Srisouta,'s first exhibition reflecting the ways of Thai rural life was held in 1967. Content and concept were devided into two categories : children at play and daily life. His work has been particularly inspired by the mural paintings of Thai temples. In 1964. He visited Japan and was favorably impressed at the interesting work of Japanese artists. Then , from 1965 - 66 , he went to study art in Germany. At that time , he sketched a number of pictures for wood cutting. When he returned to Thailand in 1967, he continued working on wood cutting and produced some ninety wood block pieces. From this , the focus of his artistic interest has shifted from Thai lifeways to an idealistic style which he feel is the new era of his creativity.

The woodcut-print technique and the keen observation of the subject matter in Praphan Srisouta’s works are inherent – but what captures the attention is the liveliness of the figures portrayed.

Srisouta accurately depicts the movement involved in such activities such as playing with the kite, wrestling, horse riding, throwing stones, beating drums, diving, playing with boats and playing with bamboo stilts using the medium of monochromatic woodcut-prints. The fluidity of the muscles of these figures seems even more alive because of this medium which is also apparent in the surrounding still life of trees, grass and bridges, leading onto the lines of the hills.

The ability to lend such life to these objects comes from the inherent talents of the artist but also from years spent passionately practicing the art of sketching still life at Silpakorn University. The movement of each of the figures’ hand, hip and leg muscles is so fascinatingly full of energy and life that it pulls in the observer and one has difficulty departing from the picture.

Although Praphan Srisouta’s woodcut-prints are noted on a global scale, when he changed from a woodblock print artist to an oil painter, only limited pieces were left and many of them are still in the artist's personal collection; and therefore difficult for the typical art lover to acquire. These are the works that the collector will be able to purchase at this exhibition.

The artist has decided to sell his last personal collection due to the fact that he is now in the process of changing from a painting artist into a poet. He therefore needs funds for the printing of this massive undertaking. A portion of the sales will also be donated to a fund for needy artists. This is because Praphan himself had had the experience of being a poor student and artist.

© 2024. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Praphan Srisouta or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only