From painting, photography and sculpture to sailboat design and construction, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has demonstrated exceptional talent as an artist and has made a significant contribution to society as patron and promoter of the arts

While being the subject of all cameras surrounding him, His Majesty has captured various rare pictures from the King's perspective.	In addition to being a keen sportsman, His Majesty is also a skilled designer and craftsman.	A self-taught artist, His Majesty expresses art in vibrant colours and bold brush strokes.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: This black and white photo of the then MR Sirikit Kitiyakara was taken by His Majesty the King on April 20, 1950, eight days before the royal couple were married and 15 days before the King was officially crowned. At Klaikangwol Palace, Hua Hin, HM the King saw his reflection in the swimming pool and was intrigued by the pictorial opportunity presented. Grabbing a slender palm for balance, His Majesty leaned over the pool and took several pictures. At Wat Sai Thong, Ruso District, Narathiwat in September 1984, Her Majesty the Queen was taking notes of the villagers’ plight, and it was getting dark. HM the King took a photograph of Her Majesty without a flash, using highspeed ISO 1,600 film. This photo of Her Majesty the Queen mbracing Princess Chulabhorn in her bosom was taken by His Majesty the King for his own personal record. The then Prince Bhumibol often acted as a royal photographer and took several historical pictures of King Ananda during his reign. In this photo King Ananda is shown addressing a crowd in Samut Prakarn on May 5, 1946. RIGHT, CENTER PHOTO: At Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace, Her Majesty the Queen was clad in dark winter attire, while posing in a joyful mood for His Majesty. The photograph "Winter Time" portrays a peaceful atmosphere.

THE ROYAL LENSMAN

Looking at His Majesty the King’s childhood photo collection, one cannot help but be affectionately mesmerized by them.

Not only have the photos captured our beloved King and his family in candid, animated moments but also serialized every bit of his progress and activities – from a baby prince to a precocious young royal to a solemn teenage King.

Obviously, what these photos have reflected beyond cherished family pictures is the photographic keenness of those behind the camera. And they were none other than Their Royal Highnesses Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and the Princess Mother – especially the Princess Mother, who solely took over family photographer role after the untimely decease of Prince Mahidol.

As a nursing student at Siriraj Hospital, the Princess Mother was fond of photography – a passion that she continued to develop while she was studying in the US in 1918 with her first camera, a Brownie Box by Eastman Kodak Her interest in photography later developed into home cinematography as she became a member of an amateur cinematographer association whose royal chairman was King Rama VII.

Growing up with cameras pointed at him, it is not surprising that His Majesty himself aspired to be a photographer, and at the age of eight he owned his first camera, a Coronet Midget, bought for him by his mother.

The little prince’s first experimentation with photography produced unsatisfactory results. His Majesty reminisced about an incident to HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana in the book Chaonai Lek Lek Yuwa Kasat that five out of six frames were completely spoilt. And the only good shot was taken by somebody else.

Far from being disheartened by the first failure, His Majesty continued to develop his skills by obtaining tips and techniques from photo experts until eventually he became an excellent photographer.

Several decades before the era of the automatic and then the digital camera, His Majesty, like all pros, took full control of the camera, which operated manually. With the 135, 120, and special film formats, he used ordinary cameras without exposure metres. By calculating and setting the cameras for proper exposure, he became so proficient that, at even to this day with all the technical advances, he still takes photographs with ordinary cameras.

At the age of 13, His Majesty, as Prince Bhumibol, accompanied King Ananda in 1941 and again five years later, recorded several historical shots of King Ananda. Among these are the rare pictorials of King Ananda speaking to a crowd at Pak Nam, Samut Prakarn Province, using an antique carbon-microphone
to address to the crowd.

His collection of photographs of mural paintings at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha during this period further demonstrate his thorough understanding of phototographic composition, lighting, and other techniques.

HH Prince Chakrabandhu Bensiri Chakrabandhu once recalled the King’s visit to a camera shop in Switzerland.

“On the first day of his visit, he bought one camera from the shop. A few weeks later, he returned to the shop and asked the shop-attendant several questions. The shop attendant seemed to be baffled. He summoned another attendant to answer the King’s complex, technical questions. He, too, was unable to answer. The third person, who was an expert, was called to provide His Majesty with proper advice. In the end, His Majesty decided to buy several lenses and other equipment.”

At this time when photographic technology was advancing slowly, innovative photographers such as the King developed their own techniques to reach their full potential.

His Majesty created his own special filter, which was partly blue and partly orange in colour. The result was a series of amazing photographs that appeared in natural colours in the centre with enhanced blue skies and warm foreground tones. His Majesty's artistic photography was outstanding as he explored new techniques and unconventional photo angles. His Majesty also developed his skill in photo development and enlargement. He installed a dark room on the ground floor of the Radio Au Sau Building in the palace. The dark room was equipped to develop both black and white and colour photographs.

In an excerpt from a book on the King’s photography written by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, she writes: “I watched His Majesty taking pictures and saw his photographs in photo albums in which he personally serialized each shot with a number. At first, he did it all by himself. Later on, he taught the royal guards to set them into the album.

“In these albums, there are all sorts of pictures such as family photos and those of his children from very young ages until they were grown up. For myself, he said, it was very difficult to capture my photo since I was quite naughty and moved around a lot.

“Apart from that, there are interesting photos such as those of royal ceremonies, the mural paintings at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, scenic pictures, and of sights and scenes His Majesty saw during his various rural trips.

“They include pictures of each place, the people, and its magnificent natural surroundings. In His Majesty’s photographic development, these are crucial elements. Some, for example, illustrate the potential at a geographical site to build a dam or a reservoir, or a road. Sometimes these photographs are horizontal, taken on a flat plane or of a bird’s-eye view from a helicopter. These pictorial documents were eventually used for royal initiatives in rural development.

“Occasionally, once a development project was completed, His Majesty would take photograph of the officials in charge of the project showing their accomplishments.

“Several pictures of His Majesty reflect his wisdom as well as his captivating philosophy. Each of the pictures displays different technique. His Majesty’s proficiency in photography was well-known, and he was invited to be in a judging committee for a photo contest.”

For Thais, one of the most familiar scenes of His Majesty is one of him with a camera hanging around his neck and a pencil and a map in his hands. The camera was not limited to artistic photography but was also an efficient tool for the King in his efforts to solve the country’s complex problems, from poverty to the environment to drought and flood.

With the King’s photographs being dispatched to offi- cials involved, the remedial actions in various areas were timely and correctly implemented.

Yet, there is another photographer role His Majesty assumed in his early years of his accession to the throne that a lot of people do not know about; that was as a press photographer. HH Prince Prem Purachatra asked for and received royal permission to publish some of His Majesty's photographs in his magazine, “Standard”.

Referring to his media role, His Majesty once mentioned his 100 baht monthly income as the magazine’s photographer. “I never got a raise,” he teased.

A COLOURFUL CHILDHOOD
Despite his lack of formal art training, His Majesty the King has won appreciation from art connoisseurs as well as art professionals for his works that excel beyond amateurism.

Albeit brief, His Majesty’s period of artistic creativity that stretched between 1959 and 1967 was a productive one. He produced over 60 paintings and sculptures—mostly expressionist, abstract, and impressionist—during this period.

“Each of His Majesty’s paintings is an unmistakable re- flection of his strengths. All are portraits. Nevertheless, the outlined profiles are not mean to be realistic representations of the models, but a framework for the artist to express his inner feelings on the canvas," explains renowned artist Uab Sanasen.

“Even though each line flows freely according to the artist's mood, the form on the painting still leaves traces of whose portrait it is. For example, the oil painting Paint at Phuping obviously portrays Her Majesty the Queen, while Un-name shows six portraits, apparently His Majesty, the Queen, and their children.”

Bold in the application of colour and forceful in brush strokes, His Majesty’s paintings seem to have been spontaneously created without hesitation. “And yet, they don’t muddle,” says Uab. “Apparently, they were executed with decisiveness and within a short period of time.”

Such spontaneous expression, Uab says, demonstrates His Majesty’s personality. “It shows that he is a man with

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT While following his father on a rural visit during the monsoon season, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was young then, slipped and fell several times on a muddy and slippery track. As the crowd in New Zealand was cheering to great their royal visitor in August 1959, His Majesty captured that moment on film from the limousine . The four right hands signify a sense of ‘brotherly’ unity. A cat in sunglasses reflects HM the King's sense of humour.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Her Majesty the Queen sits for His Majesty the King as he paints her portrait. In this portrait of HRH Prince Mahidol, HM the King made good use of highlights and shadows. An oil painting of Her Majesty the Queen from 1963. 'Double Personality' oil on canvas mounted on wood. One of HM the King's many 'Untitled' abstract oil paintings, this one from 1963.

strong willpower and resoluteness – the characteristics of those who are at the top management level.” Although His Majesty's interest in arts started at a young

age, when he lived in Switzerland from 1937-1945, he started painting later.

In HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana's book Chaonai Lek Lek, Yuwa Kasat, His Majesty the King explains how he got started painting. It was in 1946, he reminisced, when he accompanied King Ananda to Thailand for a royal visit. A full painting set including brushes, paints, and canvases was presented to the Princess Mother. As the Princess Mother showed little interest in picking up a brush, His Majesty decided to give it a try, completing several oil paintings, some of which were auctioned for charity together with His Majesty’s photographs and handmade model ships and planes.

However, it was some time —13 years — before His Majesty seriously pursued his passion for oil painting.

A self-taught artist, His Majesty began by exploring technique and drawing inspiration from art books he bought or was given by the world’s leading artists. These were books he bought for himself or was given as gifts. Later, His Majesty sought advice from several Thai artists whose works appealed to him. By visiting their studios to discuss their technique, His Majesty's perception of art gradually progressed. Eventually, His Majesty’s art developmentreached its maturity as His Majesty expressed himself on the canvas with a style and technique distinctly his own.

“Among his art advisors was Mr. Bhiriya Krairishka, who had the chance to study with leading Austrian expressionist Oskar Kokoschka. He worked very closely with the King. Thus, several of his works on display at the National Art Exhibition were expressionist,” says Uab, who was also one of the King’s art advisors.

Other advisors included such celebrated artists as Hem Vejakorn, Kien Yimsiri, Chamras Kietkong, Fua Haripitak, Paitoon Muangsomboon, Chuladhat Bayakaranondha, and Chalerm Nakhirak.

Executing his art in realistic, expressionistic and abstract approaches, His Majesty once explained that he consciously avoided allowing other people's works to influence his own. Like any self-taught, amateur artist, His Majesty enjoyed a lot of freedom and imagination, and he was able to express himself with his brush strokes without restraints (do you think it should be 'restraints by theoretical principles and rule' rather than 'like'?) like theoretical principles and rules.

Using both daylight and artificial light, His Majesty usually painted in the evening and at night, asking Her Majesty the Queen and their children to be his sitting models. Most of the paintings in his collection are portraits of Her Majesty the Queen.

Among his outstanding works include two notable pieces. One is of a portrait of his father, His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol, which exudes gentleness and makes good use of highlights and shadows. Another is of an old woman, Untitled, 11-6-07, which is executed with strong brush strokes.

"His Majesty the King first painted portraits which were realistic and finely executed. He then proceeded to modern expression and developed new techniques in order to express his thoughts without worrying about realism, which would restrict freedom of expression,” wrote M.C. Karawic Chakrabandhu in the book Supreme Artist.

“His Majesty is a true artist in the sense that he enjoys other people's works, yet is never satisfied with his own. He is always searching for new techniques, yet his paintings always exude originality. While he is working on purely abstracts subjects, he is still able to paint other aesthetically pleasing subjects even though they might be against his wishes at the time.

“As an artist, His Majesty fully expresses his thoughts and feelings, which are sincere and forceful. He uses bright colours and mainly strong curving lines but also, on occasion, straight and zigzagging lines."

His Majesty’s paintings were kept in his private collection until 1963, when he granted permission to exhibit a few of them at the 14th National Art Exhibition. Subsequently, his works were included in this annual event in following years.

To recognize his artistic talent, Silpakorn University, in 1965, presented him with an Honorary Doctorate in Painting.

In April 1982, on the occasion of Bangkok's Bicentennial Celebration, the Fine Arts Department was granted permission to exhibit 47 out of some 60 paintings by His Majesty at the National Gallery. It was a momentous occasion, as it was the first single exhibition of a monarch's paintings in history.

During this period, His Majesty also extended his interest in art to sculpture, as he learned modeling, mould making and casting techniques.

A leading sculptor, Paitun Muangsomboon, who had been working for His Majesty for a number of years, recounts His Majesty's sculpture activities in Supreme Artist: "His Majesty was interested and is conversant in all aspects of sculpture, from modelling to casting techniques. His Majesty had studied from books on the subject of sculpture and wanted to experience it for himself."

Two of his outstanding sculptures now adorning Chitralada Mansion of the Dusit Palace are a kneeling woman 9 inches high modelled in plasticine and a bust of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, which is approximately 12 inches high, also in plasticine.

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT 'Red Hand', oil on canvas, 1961.	'Untitled', oil on canvas, 1966.	'Untitled', oil on canvas.	'Untitled' oil on canvas.	'Untitled', oil on canvas, 1963.

ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM: His Majesty's hobby during his teen years in Switzerland was building model warships out of wood. His Majesty has designed several models of dinghies which are agile in Thai water and practical for Thai sailors. His Majesty in his designed Micromod	ABOVE: After each dinghy was designed and built, His Majesty would try it on in the sea. BELOW LEFT: Not only a skilled craftsman, His Majesty is also a master in sailing. He won a gold medal in the 1967 Sea Games together with his sailing partner, HRH Princess Ubolratana.

Apart from these sculptures, His Majesty initiated the making of the second series of seated Buddha statues in the Royal Cypher and amulets. The two Buddha statues are 9 inches high and 5 inches wide at the knees.

His Majesty also practiced a technique of sculpture casting using the larger Buddha statue in the Royal Cypher as a model.

In January 1966, His Majesty cast another Buddha statue in the attitude of “Subduing Mara" that was 9 inches wide measured at the knees. He decorated the plain base with lotus petals in such a way that to accommodate one of the amulets mentioned above.

A series of bronze castings were made from this prototype. He then affixed an amulet to each of these statues. His Majesty had intended to make 100 statues and to enshrine one in each and every province in the Kingdom. He named this Buddha statue the "Buddha Navarajbopitr".

Since the amulet contains His Majesty's personal effects, the "Buddha Navarajbopitr" may be regarded as one of the most important amulets created during his reign.

THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN

For the generation who had a chance to witness that historical moment when His Majesty the King won a gold medal together with HRH Princess Ubolratana for sailing in the Fourth South East Asian Peninsular Games in December 1967, they could attest to the overwhelming jubilation and pride the country had over the royal victory.

Yet, very few knew that the dinghy that agilely carried His Majesty and the Princess to the finish line in that International OK Class sailing tournament was actually designed and built by the King himself.

As a matter of fact, several of the sailing boats that have been entered in international tournaments in Thailand in the past decades are the brainchild of His Majesty the King, and the legendary the “Mod” dinghy was patented in the UK under his name.

An adept sailor and an adroit carpenter, His Majesty crafted sailing boats which were perfect for Thai sailors and travelled fast over local seas. Of his sailing boats, His Majesty chose to fashion dinghies of International Enterprise Class, International OK Class, International Moth Class, and a hybrid out of his own creativity named “Mok”.

Reflecting on His Majesty’s upbringing, it is not surprising that the King would one day be inspired to build sailing boats of his own design. As a child, His Majesty was encouraged by HRH the Princess Mother to use his imagination and creativity to make toys of his own instead of buying them. In the spirit of joyful enthusiasm, His Majesty made several toys out of old wire clothes hangers. As he mastered carpentry, he built ships out of wood scraps with sails sewn from bits of cloth.

As His Majesty’s craftsmanship skills became further honed, he crafted elaborate wooden replicas of war ships and airplanes at a time when toys replicas of this kind were not yet commercially available.

On a visit to Thailand in 1946, the then Prince Bhumibol, accompanying King Ananda, auctioned off replicas of his Thai warship, Ayudhaya, and a model airplane for 20,000 baht and 10,000 baht respectively.

Once on the throne, the sailing enthusiast King, then in his 30s, worked on a prototype sailing vessel that had its first test run in the pond of Chitralada Palace.

In 1964, after much trial and error, His Majesty perfected a prototype model of an International Enterprise Class sailing boat that met all international specifications. He named his first sailing boat "Rajptan".

In 1965, His Majesty sailed the Rajptan against the Duke of Edinburgh in a race from Pattaya to Koh Larn. Construction of the second> boat of the same class, named 'A.G.', started the very same day of the race. In the following year His Majesty produced a series of dinghies in the International OK Class named Navaruek, Veca 1, Veca 2, and Veca 3.

The most outstanding series of King’s dinghies are those of the Moth Class. Named the “Mod", "Super Mod” and “Micro Mod”, they are innovative in design, inexpensive to build, and most importantly, fast.

The Moth Class specifications limit overall length to 11 feet and a maximum sail area of 75 square feet. The width, shape and height of the mast are not restricted nor are construction materials. This allowed His Majesty a great of freedom to create a truly innovative design.

The "Mod", the first of the Moth Class series, has proven its durability. With length of 11 feet, and a 4-foot seven inch beam, the singlemast dinghy's compact size is well suited to Thai sailors and is relatively inexpensive to build. Its light weight makes it portable, readily stored, and easily maintained. With 72 square feet of sail area, the boat is fast and agile in the water. His Majesty registered the design of the "Mod" at the Patent Office in Great Britain.

His Majesty's "Mod" design soon evolved into a newer version called. "Super Mod". The length and sail area were unchanged, but the beam increased slightly to 4 feet 11 inches. Weighing 35 kilograms, the flat-bottom dingy is stable, sturdy and fast.

Superior performance and affordability have made the "Super Mod" a favored choice for international sailing events. The design was chosen for the 4th South East Asian Peninsular Games in 1967 and again for the 13th South East Asian Games in 1985.

His Majesty’s final design in the Moth Class series is the "Micro Mod". At 7-feet-9-inches long and sporting a 3-foot-4 inch beam, the dinghy is designed to make sailing accessible to children and Thai sailors of smaller stature.

In 1967, His Majesty combined the OK Class with the Moth Class design to produce a hybrid of his own creation. Calling it "Mok", His Majesty designed the boat’s hull to be a little wider than that of Super Mod, but employed the mast, sail and other fittings of OK Class vessels. Mok became

His Majesty's final masterpiece. He abandoned boat building soon after to devote his time and energy the cause of rural economic development. His Majesty’s dinghies continue to be admired for their elegant, simple and accessible designs. All the materials needed in construction are obtainable in Thailand, and are therefore affordable.

In an effort to further promote sport sailing amongst the Thai people, His Majesty gave permission to Royal Thai Navy Sailing Club to manufacture and to sell the "Mod" and "Super Mod". The "Royal Chitralada Yacht Squadron," was also established by the King to encourage sailing among the public.

Although His Majesty competed only once in 1967, he has often been seen sailing his dinghy in the Gulf of Thailand.
The King once traversed the gulf from Hua Hin to Sattahip covering 60 nautical miles during a grueling 14-hour
journey

To recognize His Majesty’s contribution to sports, December 16, _the day the King won the gold medal in the 1967
South East Asian Games, was declared National Sports Day.