Woodcarving Traditions in Myanmar. Past and Present
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JY V ASK Y LAST UDIES IN THE ARTS 46 Irene Moilanen Last of the Great Masters? UNIVERSITY OF JYV ASKYLA JYVASKYLA 1995 JYV ASKYLA STUDIES IN THE ARTS 46 Irene Moilanen Last of the Great Masters? Woodcarving Traditions in Myanmar - Past and Present Esitetaan Jyvaskylan yliopiston humanistisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston Liikunnan salissa (L302) marraskuun 25. paivana 1995 kello 12. Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Jyvaskyla, in Auditorium L302 on November 25, 1995 at 12 o'clock noon. UNIVERSITY OF � JYVASKYLA JYV ASKYLA 1995 Last of the Great Masters? Woodcarving Traditions in Myanmar - Past and Present JYVASKYLA STUDIES IN THE ARTS 46 Irene Moilanen Last of the Great Masters? Woodcarving Traditions in Myanmar - Past and Present UNIVERSITY OF � JYVASKYLA JYVASKYLA 1995 URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8081-8 ISBN 978-951-39-8081-8 (PDF) ISSN 0075-4633 ISBN 951-34-0442-0 ISSN 0075-4633 Copyright© 1995, by Irene Moilanen and University of Jyvaskyla Jyvaskyla University Printing House and Sisiisuomi Oy, Jyvaskyla 1995 "It is only by a change of viewpoint, psychologically equivalent to such a formal desecration, that the worshipper, who naturally regards the icon as a devotional utility, comes to regard it as a mere work of art to be sensationally regarded as such. Conversely, the modern aesthetician and Kunsthistoriker, who is interested only in aesthetic surfaces and sensa tions, fails to conceive of the work as the necessary product of a given determination, that is, as having purpose and utility. Of these two, the worshipper, for whom the object was made, is nearer to the root of the matter than the aesthetician who endeavors to isolate beauty from func tion." Ananda K. Coomaraswamy 1933 (1989) ABSTRACT Moilanen, Irene Last of the Great Masters? Woodcarving Traditions in Myanmar - Past and Present. Jyvaskyla: University of Jyvaskyla, 1994. 158 p. (Jyvaskyla Studies in the Arts, ISSN 0075-4633; 46) ISBN 951-34-0442-0 Finnish summary Diss. The study examines the surviving woodcarving tradition in Myanmar. Myanmar is a devoutly Buddhist country in South-East Asia following the Theravada school. Wooden architecture and sculpture are ancient skills closely connected with the religion. During the end of the nineteenth century the traditional Myanmar society faced a change, in the form of foreign rule of the kingdom. When the support for religion and traditional arts from the generous kings of Myanmar ended with the annexation of the country to the British India in 1886, artists, craftsmen, actors, pup peteers, musicians, Buddhist scholars and other professionals who had been directly dependent on the traditional order of values had to find new reasons to continue their work. Artists and craftsmen have always been respected members of the Myanmar society. In royal time sons followed their father's profession. Members of the same quild lived near each other in quarters or specializing villages. This feature of the old Myanmar is still followed today to certain extent. Religious and racial minorities as well as representatives of a certain professional groups live together even in mod ern capital Yangon. Father's profession is no longer followed faithfully, but it is common to have the same professionals among relatives. For example art student's uncle or grandfather may be an artist. The field material for the study has been collected with Myanmar language questionnaires, personal interviews and observation in the workshops. The questions enquired the working methods, raw materials, tools, typical motifs and belief system connected with the carving work. Since majority of the woodcarving work is still manufactured for religious purposes, popular legends and explanations of the par ticular motifs are included to the text. Religious woodcarving includes Buddhist and popular animistic art traditions, and they are here referred as "traditional arts". Commercial arts developed in colonial times when a new customer group, the foreigner looking for exotic decorations, came to the market. Last decades have been relatively quiet, but at the moment tourism is a growing business enterprise. Some woodcarving workshops specialize in decorative arts, which in this study are grouped under topic "commercial arts". Commercial arts differ in motifs and finish ing techniques from the traditional artifacts. Lastly comes the third artist group of contemporary Myanmar, the "modern artists". The modern artists have graduated from the State School of Fine Arts in Yangon or Mandalay. They are mostly painters, but also woodcarvers or sculptors. Western painting techniques and artistic ideals came to Myanmar in 1910s' and 1920s'. The national artist U Ba Nyan (1897-1945) introduced modern ideas of his time to Myanmar. Modern sculpture in wood is more rare. Keywords: Myanmar, Buddhist art, woodcarving, traditional art, religious art, Burma ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the Myanmar authorities for their help and co-operation during my studies in the country, the Minister for National Planning and Economic Development. Brig.Gen. 0.0. Abel, the Directors and staff of the Department of Archaeology in Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan and especially Assistant Director U Nyunt Han for his kind personal encouragement and help in various ways. I am greatly indebted to my friends Ma Moe Moe Aung and Saw Wai Lwin Moe for their patience and most invaluable help in translating and interpreting the interviews. I would also like to thank U Khin Kyaw, who collected articles from Myanmar magazines and gave me much good advice during the years. It would be impossible to mention here the names of all my Myanmar friends who have shared their knowledge and beliefs of their relig ion, culture, history and legends with me for the benefit of this study. To all of them I wish to extend my most sincere thanks. Without their enthusiastic help and encouragement this work could not have been finished. I thank the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Jyvaskyla, the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen, the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Education of Finland and the Artturi ja Ellen Nyyssbnen Founda tion for financial support of my work. Also I wish to thank Dr Elizabeth Moore from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London University for her valuable advice and opin ions, Professor Kalevi Poykkb from the Department of Art History in the University of Jyvaskyla for his help and support and especially Secretary Matti Myllykoski from the Faculty of Humanities for his personal encourage ment. I thank my friends Pekka Vahakangas and Pekka Korhonen for read ing the manuscript and the valuable advice that followed. I am also grateful for Mark Woods from the Language Centre of the University of Jyvaskyla for "the" help and checking the English of my thesis. Finally I wish to thank my family and my friends in Finland, who have faithfully supported and encour aged me during this work. Irene Moilanen CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11 2 CAN A TRADITION DISAPPEAR? . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 Tradition - Modern . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 Change - Progress . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 Will the Tradition Survive? . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 Fieldwork . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 Interview - Discourse Analysis . .. .. .. .. .. 21 Iconological Method . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 4 CLASSICAL MYANMAR SOCIETY . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 27 From Chronicle Myths to Historical Bagan . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 27 Artist in Classical Society . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 31 Kan Arne, Kan Aphe . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 35 5 WOODEN SCULPTURE IN TRADITIONAL MYANMAR .. .. .. 39 Art About Buddhism . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 39 Wooden Sculpture in Bagan ................................ 41 Art in Inwa and Konbaung Periods . .. .. .. .. .. .. 45 6 MOTIFS OF BUDDHIST WOODCARVING .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 49 Nari Pan - Images of the Sage . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 49 Great Yahans ............................................ 54 Guardians of Life and Religion . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 Tribe of Nats . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 59 The Hare and the Peacock . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 63 Note on Sacrilege .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 7 THE CONTEMPORARY ARTIST AND CRAFTSMAN . .. .. .. .. 72 Colonial Effect . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 U Ba Nyan and the Burma Art Club .......................... 74 Artists Today - Traditional . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 76 Artists Today - Modern . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 78 8 WOODCARVING WORK AND MATERIALS . .. .. .. .. .. .. 80 Traditional Tools and Techniques . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 80 Raw Materials for Carving . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 83 Finishing the Sculpture - Lacquer and Gold Leaf .. .. .. .. .. .. 86 9 MODERN ARTS AND CRAFT . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 90 Buddhist Motifs . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 90 Historical and Mythological Images .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 92 Contemporary Trends in Art Schools and Galleries .. .. .. .. .. 94 10 WHY DID YOU WANT TO BECOME A WOODCARVING ARTIST? ............................................... 97 CONCLUSION ............................................. 101 YHTEENVETO ............................................. 103 PERSONAL AND UNPUBLISHED INFORMATION ................. 106 LITERAL REFERENCES .....................................