Description
Get to Know the Painting
The Rafflesia is the official flower of Surat Thani in the south of Thailand – it is crowned the largest flowers in the world,
growing up to 90cm in width and can weigh up to 7 kilograms. It has a bowl-shaped appearance with yellow dots surrounding its bright red petals. The fact that it is pollinated by flies and not other insects such as bees is the reason behind its strong smell. Despite this, it can be found in Thai delicacies and can even be used in medicine. The human collection of these flowers and the constant disturbance of their habitat causes the Rafflesia to become increasingly rare. Three species are grown and conserved in Khao Sok National Park at Surat Thani.
The bird seen in the painting is none other than the Gurney’s Pitta. This breed is considered a rare sighting and a desired view for many birdwatchers around the world, specifically within the South East Asian location. This stems from the first big discovery of the population in Myanmar, with minimal sightings in the Southern of Thailand. Following the theme of Narongchai and his intention to raise awareness on environmental issues – the bird breed is categorised as critically endangered; having a declining population every year.
