More Myanmar Arts
More of the Myanmar Arts
Other than the 10 Traditional Arts of Myanmar, there are some more arts to know from Myanmar. Theses arts are described as follows.
- Pottery
- Mosaic
- Tapestry
- Lapidary
- Gold Foil Making
- Wall Painting
- Silk Weaving
- Bark Painting
- Palm Portrait
Pottery
Pottery has been the earliest craft in th
e history of human civilization. People in the terrain area had began to make use of pots, which could be easily and cheaply produced. Although pots are fragile, these can be made use in many useful ways. Pots were not only used to store or cook food but also as burial urns to bury gold and jewelleries. The remains of some old pots used during the Pyu civilizations were discovered, giving evidences that pots had been used since then. Remains were also found in Bagan and Mrauk-U regions. Today, the main pottery works in Myanmar are situated in Nwe Nyein village near Kyauk Myaung, a river-side town near Shwebo and Twante near Yangon.
The making of Pots
Thick clay is mixed with the silt from the river to make a suitable consistency. then it is allowed to dry after which it is pounded into a fine powder. After sieving several times, the powder is allowed to seep in water for some days. After the silt has settled, the clear water is poured away and the remaining clay worked over until smooth. After that, lumps of it are rolled and given over to the potter. Even though plastic, steel, aluminium wares are available, hand-made pottery is still very much preferred by Myanmar and still in use in the cultural traditions.Mosaic (Decorations of the gems)
Myanmar mosaic art was off to a good start by the time of the Bagan period, as scholars and researchers, now testify. Historians also agree. This noble art is seen mainly on royal and religious items and buildings. But sometimes mosaic is also used in artifacts and household objects of the common lay people to achieve a new sense of beauty and splendor. In this art there are four main disciplines on which the workmanship is based. The four types are Knut (flower style), Kapi (monkey shape), gaza (elephant base) and nari (femininity). These four basics also apply to Myanmar painting and drawing. The materials have shining glorious colors mostly embedded with various precious gems and stones. The glass is lit with colorful, shining objects in mosaic art. Valuable precious gems and semi-precious stones are used to invest ordinary utensils and other household articles with glory and splendor to make them unique and attractive and thus fit for royal use. So they are bedecked with pearls, coals, jade, rubies, etc. The Nine Noble Gems also decorate several items for royal use. Remarkable beauty is thereby achieved. These items decorated with mosaic were used only by royalty and persons of great wealth.
When brilliant gems and fine stones are put on glass by means of starches from the barks of certain trees, in various styles and designs, this art reaches a high state of workmanship. Light, splendor and brilliance is achieved to bedazzle the eyes of all on-lookers. Glory is also attained. So Myanmar mosaic is also termed the "art of systematic order on glass" (hman-si-shwe-sha) with gold for further embellishment. This is a subtle art to be practiced only by the most skilled specialists. Experts make the glass that is to be embossed or embedded in various sizes and shapes in the forms of circles, squares, triangles, ovals, etc. according to the dictates of harmony and artistry. Even valuable gems and pearls are embossed or embroidered or bedecked in suitable ways.
Tapestry (gold / silver embroidery)
The art of tapestry or "Shwe Chi Hto" as we call it, is said to have originated in Myanmar about a thousand years ago. It is a form of needlework to create a variety of pictures and patterns so delicate and detailed that it requires skill, artistry and patience. It is a highly decorative embroidery that employs gold thread as its name indicates, but in fact silver and colored threads as well as other materials such as tinsel, sequins, semi-precious gems, colorful cut glass, seed pearls and beads go into the making. The earliest record of such embroidery is the Pyu Period during the reign of King Mahayaza, circa AD 800. The centre of this craft was and still is Mandalay, the long-standing hub of Myanmar culture and art. The ancient ceremonial royal raiment known as the "Maha Latta", worn from time immemorial by kings and queens is a very heavy gold-embroidered and gem encrusted robe. The Maha Latta was worn by King Thibaw and Queen Suhpayalatt, the last reigning monarchs of Myanmar. Their robes were the creation of skilled seamstresses, goldsmiths and other artisans of Mandalay. These raiment are on display at the National Museum in Yangon. The embroidery of gold thread and gems is so fine and intricate that it defies the imagination of an unskilled layman. The most outstanding artisans became court craftsmen by royal appointment. They sewed and embroidered all kinds of royal raiment for the monarch and the royal family, ministers and generals, from headgear down to footwear as well as other furnishings for the royal palace such as wall tapestry, fans, cushions, pillows and so forth.
The national ethnic groups also favor gold embroidered garments and headgear. The ceremonial dress and headgear of the Mon, Rakhine, Shan, Palaung, Kachin, Kayah, Padaung, Akhar and many others are heavily embroidered in gold and silver thread and encrusted with silver ornaments and beads. They are really gorgeous.Lapidary (the skill in cutting gems)
Methods used by gem cutters have hardly changed in hundreds of years, but in Myanmar, the development of the gem industry means there are now more companies exporting expertly cut gems out of the country. The lapidary (someone who is skilled in cutting and polishing jewel and valuable stones) has become all - important be - cause the quality - and value - of a gem is determined by the cut. People used to cut gems by hand, but now people use a gem cutting machine. Many gem cutters keep their cutting methods secret from other lapidaries.
There are two steps in gem cutting First a rough cut is made before the second, which is the final cut. People used to use sapphire powder to polish the gems but now people use diamond powder, which gives the diamonds more beautiful color, and hopefully a high price.Gold Foil Making
In Myanmar, gold-leaves are widely sold at the famous pagodas to gild the Buddha image or stupa with gold-leaf. This is the Myanmar tradition for meritorious deeds. These gold-leaves are originally make in Mandalay. Mandalay's gold-leaf makers are concentrated in the south-east of the city, near the intersection of 36th and 78th Sts. Sheets of gold are beaten into gossamer-thin pieces which are cut into squares and sold in packets to devotees to use for gilding images or even complete stupas. The typical gold-leaf square measures just 0.000127 cm, thinner than ink on the printed page. Gilding a Buddha image or a stupa with gold leaf brings great credit to the gilder, so there is a steady growth of gold leaf on many images in Myanmar.
Wall Painting
There is a saying “art improves with age”. Art is drawn on paper, canvas and on walls. Painting drawn on walls in caves are called “Wall Paintings”. Stone Age painting from 10,000 years ago were first found in “Pyadalin” cave in Myanmar. Some wall paintings are found in “Lawka Hmankin” cave at Saging hill in Central Myanmar. This cave was built in the Innwa period of the Nyaung Yan Dynasty between 13 and 16 centuries.
Silk Weaving (100 Shuttle Traditional Weaving Industry)
Myanmar proudly wear hand-woven silk materials at auspici
ous occasions. Myanmar turban, Myanmar jacket and silk longyi are worn by Myanmar men while intricate acheik designs woven with over 100 silk threads such as plain silk blouses and silk shawls are proudly worn by Myanmar ladies. Although the colours and patterns of silk-woven materials have changed since the time of Myanmar kings, they are still proudly worn by Myanmars. When we weave the silk firstly, three or four raw silk threads are twisted tightly with the aid of the machine, thus making it taut and smooth. After that, silk-woven faces are removed by washing in boiled soap-nut liquid.
You will have to boil and wash more thoroughly the threads, which are to be used for the designs, because they need to be softer than ordinary silk thread. Then you have to add the desire colour you want, to the boiled water. After dyeing the threads for about 30 minutes, you have to rinse the excessive dye from the threads. Then use water, repeatedly to wash the dyed threads and later dry them in the sunlight. In this way, you get beautiful smooth dyed-silk threads. To weave the silk threads; you wind the right amount of threads; you will be needing, into the bobbins you're going to use.
After attaching the bobbins on the loom, the weavers will weave the desired acheik patterns. The acheik patterns are horizontal wavy lines of various sizes and numbers. There are up to 300 small bobbins used to weave very intricate and complicated acheik designs. Traditionally, acheiks have named like royal thread, 6 design thread, 5 design thread, 4 design thread and so forth, depending on the usage of colour and the number of small bobbins used for the particular design. In olden days, people used to prefer the acheik with more colours. But nowadays people prefer soft and smooth silk threads with the only addition of 2 to 3 colours.
Acheik nowadays based on traditional designs woven with more modern colours and designs is still winning the heart of the locals and foreign visitors. Both, women and men folks wear lovely, colourful silk acheiks to special occasions like weddings and important festive ceremonies. Men's silk have diamond, jasmine or pearl designs. In Amarapura city, not far from Mandalay, 100-shutles looms acheik, pasoes, longyi and shawls are woven in a variety of designs and colours.
Bark Painting has been a new generation of wood designing. The manufacturers of Bark Paintings usually use the bark from large trees and old trees. The barks of the tree are taken off and dried in the sun. After drying, the bark paintings are done in Myanmar Traditional way. Some nails, glue are used to make hold of the paintings and are polished to give a brighter look. Artificial colors are used in creating the paintings so that it can be more attractive. Bark Paintings are now in the local market and also becoming an export product.
Palm Portrait
Myanmar is rich in forestry and nature. There are many palm trees and coconut trees. Palm Portraits are made from the products of local toddy palm trees. The portraits are made from the raw materials of the toddy trees such as toddy fruit, toddy fronds with cover, spandex of a male toddy tree, toddy leaves, and toddy shoots.
Making Palm Portraits needs artistic designs and ideas and also to mix with Myanmar Tradition. First a beautiful sketch is to be made on paper. Natural scenes such as mountain ranges, rivers and trees are usually drawn. Each part is cut into single parts. Then pasted on the toddy products and cut again as the same shape. Then using each part the whole scenic view can be regrouped in a frame and pasted with glue. The frame is made of wood and the inner part is already colored to match the original picture. After finishing up assembling all the small little parts, the frame is then covered with glass. Now, the Palm Portrait becomes beautiful and tidy. The making of this palm portrait needs specifications, patience and design ideas. Now, many locals and foreign visitors love Palm Portraits.
More information about Myanmar Arts ...
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