After a questionable example earlier this week, we feel the need to cleanse our palate with something a little more refined in the hotel art category. Luckily, we came across the perfect example recently at the equally refined Four Seasons Bangkok.
Enter the airy lobby and walk straight ahead to the grand staircase in front of you, behind which you'll find a stunning mural commissioned especially for the hotel. Hand-painted on Thai silk, it depicts in extraordinary detail the ascent of the Chakri Dynasty to the throne of Thailand.
The four key figures from left to right each carry symbolic value: the horse signifies commerce, the boat signifies trade, the chariot signifies royalty, and the elephant signifies war.
Look closely and you can see how each rower or each animal has different features and facial expressions, with intricate brushwork against the silk backdrop.
The mural is not the only thing to gawk at; crane your neck and you will see beautiful, multi-colored paintings on the ceiling throughout the lobby. Covering over 7,500 square feet in total, it's a riot of vibrant blues, pinks, and yellows, contrasting with the white frames and pillars. Each of the 19 major sections has an individual design and color combination, with a range of subjects, from geometrical patterns and the astrological cycle to Rahula – the god of the eclipse – originating in ancient vedic scriptures of Brahmanical India.
Getting to the hotel is easy: the Radjadamri station on the Silom line of the Bangkok Transit System (BTS) is a two-minute walk away. Depending on traffic (which in Bangkok can get, let's say, bad), the BTS is a much faster way of getting around in this part of town than a taxi.
Source: HotelChatter
