Hem Vejakorn
Born	January 9, 1903 Bangkok, Thailand
Died	1969
Field	Illustration, painting

A poster for a 2004 exhibition of Hem's works at the Queen's Gallery in Bangkok.

Hem Vejakorn (Thai: เหม เวชกร, born January 9, 1903, died 1969) was a Thai artist and writer. He is best known for his illustrations for the covers of 10-satang pulp novels, which have in turn influenced subsequent generations of Thai artists and illustrators. It is estimated that he produced more than 50,000 pieces of art, including pen and pencil drawings, watercolors, posters and oil paintings. He works portrayed rural life, Thai history and figures from Thai classical literature. His works have been reproduced on Thai postage stamps^[1] and featured in art galleries. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Bangkok Skytrain at sunset on Thanon Narathiwat Ratcha Nakharin with Empire Tower at the back. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Illustration by Jesse Wilcox Smith. ... The Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable artistic paintings in the Western world. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Illustration by Jesse Wilcox Smith. ... The baht (บาท, symbol ฿, ISO 4217 code THB) is the official currency of Thailand. ... An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing written text by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text. ... Drawing is the act of defining (or delineating) the outlines of a figure against a background, using any of a wide variety of tools and techniques. ... The history of Thailand begins with the migration of the Thais from their ancestoral home in southern China into mainland southeast asia around the 10th century AD. Prior to this Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. ... Literature in Thailand was traditionally heavily influenced by Indian culture. ... A selection of Hong Kong postal stamps A postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services. ...

Biography

Early life

Hem was born in Bangkok. He lived with a stepfamily of half-sisters and half-brothers. At age 11, he took up residence with his uncle, MR Daeng Tinnakorn, an architect in charge of supervising the Italian artists and architects employed in the building of Ananda Samakom Throne Hall. Hem was then acquainted with artist Carlo Rigoli, architect Mario Tamagno and engineer Emilio Giovanni Gollo. Hem found himself drawn to the work in the Throne Hall, and Rigoli, who was the interior designer, allowed him to carry the paint. The Bangkok Skytrain at sunset on Thanon Narathiwat Ratcha Nakharin with Empire Tower at the back. ... Traditionally, a stepfamily is the family one acquires when a parent enters a new marriage, whether the parent was widowed or divorced. ... The Thai royal and noble titles signify distance of the bearers to the King. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Dusit (Thai ดุสิต) is one of the 50 districts (Khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. ...

Rigoli invited Hem to study in Italy, but he young man could not take the offer. Later, Hem was enrolled at Assumption College, Dhepsirindr School and Poh Chang College. He finished at none of those institutions. Authorities attributed his academic failure to a lack of parental care. Assumption University (AU, Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยอัสสัมชัญ) is a university with two campuses in the Hua Mak and Bang Plee areas of Bangkok, Thailand. ...

But Hem continued his artistic endeavors. He helped with the painting of another temple, Wat Raja Oros, he started writing and learned to play the viola. He worked for a while for the royal irrigation department in Saraburi Province and was a steam engine mechanic. The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a string instrument played with a bow which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the violin and the lower lines played by the cello and double bass. ... Saraburi (Thai สระบุรี) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ...

He later began work in a printing house and turned to painting and preparing illustrations that he sold to magazines.

Emerald Buddha temple renovation

In 1930 Hem was selected as one of the artists to renovate the murals in Wat Phra Kaew (the Emerald Buddha temple) during Bangkok’s 150th anniversary celebrations. He was responsible for renovating murals in room 69, which depicts a scene from the Ramayana of Phra Rama killing Mangkorn Kan. Outside view The Wat Phra Kaew (English: Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is the most important Buddhist temple of Thailand. ... Emerald Buddha The Emerald Buddha (Thai พระแก้วมรกต - Phra Kaew Morakot, or official name พระพุทธมหามณีรัตนปฏิมากร - Phra Bhuddha Maha Mani Ratana Patimakorn) is the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, a figurine of the sitting Buddha, made of green jade (rather than emerald), clothed in gold, and about 45 cm tall. ... The (DevanāgarÄ«: ) is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smá¹›ti). ...

After the work was complete, Hem and some friends set up the Ploenchit publishing house, which printed a series of 10-satang graphic novels between 1932 and 1935. Featuring illustrations by Hem, the novels were a hit and have since become collectors’ items. The baht (บาท, symbol ฿, ISO 4217 code THB) is the official currency of Thailand. ... Sabre (1978), one of the first graphic novels. ...

In 1936, Hem opened his own publishing house called Hem Party, which published Phae Kao, written by Mai Muangderm and illustrated by Hem. Despite his success, Hem's business went broke, forcing the artist to seek work for the Pramuan Wan daily newspaper and the weekly journal Pramuan Sarn, both of which were owned by Prince Pithayalongkorn, who wrote under the pseudonym "Nor Mor Sor". Hem also illustrated such literary works as Khun Chang Khun Paen and Sri Thanonchai.

Revered teacher

During the Second World War, the artist worked for the government, producing nationalistic propaganda illustrations for textbooks. When the war ended he went back to freelancing and wrote an illustrated series of ghost stories, which have inspired many Thai artists. Among students who sought him out was the animator and cartoonist Payut Ngaokrachang, who studied with Hem via correspondence. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix Nationalism is an ideology [1] that holds that a nation is the fundamental unit for human social life, and takes precedence over any other social and political principles. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviour of people, rather than impartially providing information. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A manufactured image of a ghostly woman ascending a staircase. ... An animator is one who is involved in the process of animation. ... A cartoonist at work. ... The Adventure of Sud Sakorn is Thailands first (and only) cel-animated feature film. ... A British pillar box. ...

Among Hem's works is An Introduction to Phra Aphai Mani, a 1952 English-language book by Prem Chaya (Prince Prem Purachatra) and illustrated by Hem. It serves as an introduction to the epic poem by Thai writer Sunthorn Phu. His old student Payut would go on to create Thailand's first cel-animated feature film, The Adventure of Sudsakorn, based on Sunthorn Phu's work. Another famous Thai epic poem, The Story of Khun Chang Khun Phaen, was also translated by Prem Chaya and illustrated by Hem, in the 1950s.^[2] Sunthorn Phu (or Sunthon Phu, 1786–1855) is Thailands best-known poet. ... The Adventure of Sudsakorn (Thai: สุดสาคร), also known as The Adventure of Sud Sakorn, Sudsakhorn Adventure or Soodsakorn, is the only Thai cel-animated feature film ever made. ...

Much later, film director Wisit Sasanatieng paid tribute to Hem's ghost stories with his 2006 film, The Unseeable.^[3] The Barom Khru Foundation, which claims to supervise Hem's works, issued a statement warning the film's producer Five Star Production not to violate the copyright of Hem's writing. The director countered that The Unseeable was not an adaptation but was generally inspired by Hem's style of writing and illustrations.^[4] Wisit Sasanatieng (Thai วิศิษฏ์ ศาสนเที่ยง, born April 25, 1964 in Bangkok, Thailand) is a Thai film director and screenwriter. ... The eye is an adaptation. ...

Before his death in 1969, Hem was engaged by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to create oil paintings that would be given as gifts to royal visitors. Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ; IPA: ; Royal Institute: Phumiphon Adunyadet;  ) (born December 5, 1927), officially styled the Great (Thai: มหาราช, Maharaja) and also known as Rama IX, is the current King of Thailand. ...

References

• Pholdhampalit, Khetsirin. April 24, 2004. "Light works", The Nation.
• Lersakvanitchakul, Kitchana. February 3, 2003. The Nation.

Notes

1. ^ Hem Vejakorn's painting postage stamps, SiamStamp.com.
2. ^ Baker, Chris and Phongpaichit, Pasuk. Khun Chang Khun Phaen sources.
3. ^ Rithdee, Kong. November 3, 2006. "Vintage affair", Bangkok Post.
4. ^ Rithdee, Kong. November 3, 2006. "The carnival of souls", Bangkok Post.

External links

• (Thai) Gallery of Hem's illustrations at Chulalongkorn University
• (Thai) Images of Hem's artwork at Sarakadee