During the Mid- 20ᵗʰ century, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab tried to classify the ancient objects and monuments in Thailand with the academic system under the list of the kingdoms in accordance to the history, both Pre-Thai and Thai periods. This initiation subsequently stimulated several Thai art historians to research and propose several theories on Thai art. Prof. Prince Subhadradis Diskul, the founder of the Department of Art History at Silpakorn University, issued the first book in English entitled “Thai Art: A Brief History” in 1963. His students, Prof. Santi Leksukhum, and Prof. Sakchai Saisingha also issued books in Thai on the same topics to encourage students and people to understand Thai art.

Art in Thailand: An Illustrated Introduction, written by Prof. Chedha Tingsanchali, is another attempt to write the whole timeline and tendencies of art history in Thailand from the beginning of civilization to the early 20ᵗʰ century CE in one compact book, summarizing the long and complicate art histories, theories, and tendencies in a nutshell. This book aims to simplify Thai art for foreign beginners who are newbies to Thai art, with the exemplification of masterpieces, illustrations, and shortest captions relating to the object.

This book is one of the simplest handbooks for understanding Thai art from the 5^th-20^th centuries. The book design is beautiful, with color printing, accompanied by more than 400 illustrations. This book is recommended for the novice who wants to understand Thai culture through her history of art. A special discount for the book will be offered at the talk.