Rak see lacquer colour painting is a distinct art form found in Asia. It involves mixing pigment powder with clear lacquer sap to create colours resembling oil paint. Artists often add details to their art using black lacquer outlines, gold or silver leaves, and build up multiple overlapping layers. Once dry, the surface is polished to reveal the depth and texture of the layers.
Despite its cultural significance, access to these traditional materials and techniques is limited because certain materials need to be imported from abroad. Due to transportation fees, artists spend a lot of money on materials.
Sanan Rattana, a fellow of the Royal Society of Thailand’s Academy of Arts, has been interested in rak see because he once had an art teacher who had lived during the reign of King Rama V and knew about the technique. Sanan has visited Vietnam many times to further learn about rak see techniques.
According to Sanan, Thailand has no clear lacquer available. Thus, he had to import clear lacquer from Vietnam which costs an equivalent of about 700 to 800 baht for 10kg. However, with transportation fees the total cost rises to 18,000 baht.
“Rak see had been missing from Thailand for over 100 years. It disappeared during the reign of King Rama V when Thailand was trying to escape colonialism and had to adopt Western culture and art techniques. This caused the loss of traditional Thai art. The last person who knew original rak see techniques has already passed away,” explained Sanan.
“Rak see techniques were used in China 4,000 years ago. The techniques were also found in Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Since Vietnam is close to Thailand, I visited Hue many times to purchase materials and I caught a glimpse of their techniques, remembered them and developed them by myself because the art community in Vietnam does not share rak see knowledge with foreigners.
“I also learned rak see techniques from looking at second-hand Japanese bento sets in Thailand. My rak see techniques combine traditional Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese techniques.”
After Sanan developed his rak see techniques, he organised workshops to educate young people, however, materials such as clear lacquer sap, pigment powder and drawing boards imported from Vietnam cost a lot of money. Though young people know about rak see, many of them cannot work with this technique because of the expenses. Therefore, the National Research Council of Thailand asked Sanan to search for rak see substitute materials available in Thailand.
Sanan’s successful results are on display at the art exhibition “Rak See” at Chulalongkorn University Museum.
It took him six months to find materials that could be substituted for clear lacquer sap and pigment powder. Urethane and varnish are replacements for clear lacquer, while synthetic colours are substitutes for pigment powder.
“On the day I submitted my research grant application, I had no idea what kind of materials could be substitutes. However, I learned that clear lacquer sap has the properties of being able to adhere, coat and act as a sticky resin. Due to these properties, I looked into construction materials such as furniture coating like urethane and varnish. There was a lot of trial and error as I experimented with materials. It was quite wasteful as if something did not work, I had to buy new materials,” Sanan explained.
“I also bought and tested many synthetic colours purchased from various places including the stationary store Nanaphan, the paint shop Sen Hong Eagle and the construction material shop Thai Watsadu. After six months of research, the committee asked about my progress. I told them that I found paints for rak see that could be purchased at stores in districts nationwide. The committee was pleased with my answer because it met their expectations.”
In addition to urethane or varnish mixed with synthetic colours, Sanan’s daughter and his students created pigment from natural materials such as rose petals, jackfruit and rosewood. The results are effective, but the colours are earth tones.
“Rak See” displays several works by Sanan along with more than 90 others created by students, aspiring artists and professionals. Sanan and his research team collaborated with many universities and schools and passed on rak see techniques using new materials to teachers, lecturers and artists. They will now continue to pass on the knowledge to more students and colleagues.
As a research team member, Asst Prof Soamshine Boonyananta, of Chulalongkorn University, said that regardless of art background, anyone can enjoy rak see techniques.
“Unlike other Thai traditional art techniques which require specific processes, artists and students can enjoy experimenting with rak see even though they have different backgrounds,” she said.
“Artists and students can use urethane or varnish mixed with synthetic colours to paint on a board, like oil painting or create art by building up multiple layers and polishing it. They are forced to work on specific techniques. After the first trial, if someone enjoys rak see, they can continually develop their own styles.”
Sanan had a positive reaction when asked how he felt about over 90 lacquer paintings created by younger artists and students. He also revealed his future project which will preserve another traditional Thai art technique.
“I am happy that I am bringing back our traditional art techniques which have almost disappeared. In the past, I was the only one practicing rak see,” he said.
“Then, 30 to 40 people learned about it and became interested. Currently, the group who know rak see techniques has expanded to 100 to 200 people. In the future, Thailand will have more diverse lacquer techniques and younger generations will have more options apart from using only paints imported from abroad.
“My future project is to study and restore lacquer techniques mixed with pearl, which is found at Wat Sra Bua in Phetchaburi. It is the only place in Thailand where this technique is found.”