Musical Rhythm

The slender and lustrous limbs and the elegant posture playing the flute. The pose of slightly bending the head in order to breathe into the flute and of gently swaying the body produces graceful curves from the nape to the back down to the hips. Khien Yimsiri achieved this elegant corporal expression by modelling after the Sukothai sculpture in the classic Thai style. The charms of this work go even further. The big toes that bend backwards, and the lips which turn slightly upwards. In this refined portrait, the highly strung tension at the very moment of playing the flute is created. This is a masterpiece born as a piece of Thai modern art which was not a mere revival of classic styles. Having mastered Western realistic sculpture techniques at Silpakorn University, the base of Thai modern art, none other than Khien Yimsiri could have succeeded in producing this work filled with tension. (NT)