“Royaume du Cambodge” is one of several canvasses the artist painted about the progressive deterioration of Cambodian culture in the 20th century. It is sad that native cultures disappear when confronted with "modern" societies, and indeed, this has happened to the old Cambodian way of life. However, Royaume du Cambodge is not a sad painting. It depicts the evening of the old, mythic Khmer civilization, the generation of the grandparents, prior to the wars in Southeast Asia and the killing fields of Cambodia. In the painting, which is set in the night, an elderly couple appears at the bottom of the canvas almost as if in repose or meditation. There is a great sense of serenity and peace about them. Behind them loom the ruins of Angkor Wat, with the sleeping head of the Buddha emerging from the center of the temple edifice. There is a barren tree to the left, perhaps presaging the disruptions to come; it could be the bodhi tree, stripped of meaning. To the right is a group of tree branches in full leaf, suggesting that there is still life, and that the duality of existence (ying and yang, good and evil) is present in the fate of the Cambodians. - (CC.0002)Clayton Campbell - Cambodia III - CC.0002Circa: 1991 ADDimensions: 64" (162.6cm) high x 64" (162.6cm) wide Catalogue: V10
Collection: Contemporary Art Medium: Oil On Canvas

Art (paintings, prints, frames)
Contemporary Art