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The painted image of the Buddha is said
to have originated in central India, in the area now known
as Bihar. It is said that during Buddha’s lifetime,
two Kings, Utayana and Bimbisara, who lived in the region
used to exchange gifts and that one day King Bimbisara,
upon receiving a priceless gem from King Utayana decided,
after much thought, to have an image of the Buddha painted
on cloth to give in return. After receiving the consent
of the Buddha, Bimbisara sent some of his court artists
to paint the Buddha’s portrait. When the artists
looked upon the Buddha, however, they were so filled with
wonder that they were unable to draw and so the Buddha
led one of the artists to a clear pool and told him to
paint his likeness from the reflection in the water. This
the artist did, surrounding the portrait with images of
the twelve links of dependent arising and with some words
of religious advice, as recommended by the Buddha. When
Utayana saw the gift he was greatly moved and later that
day, after prayers and meditation on the symbols of the
twelve links, he attained the path of seeing. As a result,
this style of painting came to be known as ‘The
image of the Sage taken from the water’ (Chu-len-ma).
Another account relates the first paintings
of the Buddha to an occasion when he was teaching in Kapilavastu.
At that time there was a king called Mahanama, whose wife
had a maidservant, named Rohita. Whilst the Buddha was
teaching nearby the Queen sent Rohita to deliver a necklace
e of jewels to him. On the way she was attacked by a girl
herding cows and was killed. Due to her faith in the Buddha
she was reborn as the daughter of the King of Sri Lanka.
When the princess was a young girl she heard of the teachings
of the Buddha and experienced a re-awakening of faith
from her former life. She sent a letter to the Buddha
with a gift of pearls and in reply, the Buddha sent her
a letter and an image of himself on which an artist had
outlined the rays of light surrounding his body. This
style became known as ‘The image of the Sage taken
from the rays'
Origins
in Tibet
Tibetan thanka painting is based upon the Indian
religious art of pata and mandala, complex paintings
whose designs were used in certain religious rites.
As the Tibetans closely adhered to the religious
teachings of the Indian Pandits, so too did they
follow the strict guidelines laid down by Indian
and later, Nepalese and Chinese artist. Eventually
it was the Nepalese and Chinese painters who had
the most far-reaching influence on the development
of the Tibetan thanka.
The principal artistic schools from which Tibetans
painting is derived were in Western India and
date back to the 7th and 8th centuries. The influence
of these schools was felt throughout Central and
Eastern India, eventually reaching Nepal from
where it filtered into Tibet.
It was in the 7th century, during the reign
of Songsten Gampo, that Buddhism and its associated art
forms made considerable advances throughout Tibet, Songsten
Gampo’s marriage to both a Nepalese and a Chinese
princess brought Nepalese and Chinese artist into the
region where they worked to further the spread of Buddhism
through art. Later, during the 11th century, thanka painting
in Western Tibet began to draw from the Kashmiri school
when the great monk translator Rinchen Zangpo, brought
a number of artists from Kashmir to Tibet, in the first
half of the century. The painting of these artists hung
in temples as pictorial representations of the Dharma,
furthering the spread of Buddhism amongst the Tibetans
of that region. Influenced by Kashmiri art as well as
Central Indian art, Western Tibetan painting developed
a style of it own, a style, however, which grew stale
and which eventually disappeared, during the 17th century.
Over
the centuries, the Nepalese influence upon Tibetan
painting was pervasive and dominant, remaining uninterrupted
for years, whilst the influence of the Indian artists
faded with the Moslem invasions of India. Chinese
influence, on the other hand, fluctuated according
to the changing political relations between Tibet
and China and it was not really until the 18th century
that Chinese influence began to be felt, revitalizing
Tibetan painting which has begun to flounder in
its strict adherence to the archaic styles of Nepal
and India. As Guiseppe Tucci states in Tibetan Painted
Scrolls, ‘the development of Tibetan painting
consists in a mutual approach and blending of the
Chinese and Nepalese manners’. As time went
on, these external influences, which provided the
initial direction
and rules of Tibetan painting, began to
give way to a more distinctly Tibetan style of painting.
For later, even when absorbing Chinese influence, the
Tibetans learnt to interpret it in their own ways, no
longer simply imitating the style as they had formerly
done.
Development of Tibetan Styles
The three major styles of Tibetan paintings
practiced today are the ‘Menri’, the ‘Mensar’
and the ‘Karma Gadri’ styles. These are the
styles of individual artists whose work played an influential
role in the development of Tibetan painting.
The ‘Menri’ style, the oldest of the three
forms, dates back to 1440C.E. and was developed by Menla
Dhondrup who studied under the artist, Dhopa Tashi Gyatso,
an expert in Nepalese style painting. Through acquiring
a thorough knowledge of the new style, Menla Dhondrup
went on to revise the proportions and composition of religious
figures as well as developing new pigments. In addition
he defined the religious requirements of both the artist
and patron, demonstrated the need for accurate painting,
showing the consequences of inaccurate work and gave instruction
in various methods of painting. It was these revisions
that came to be known as the ‘Menri’ style.
In the year 1645 C.E., the incarnate master Chöying
Gyatso developed a style of his own, known as the ‘Mensar’
or the ‘new Menri’ style. Based on the Mentri
school, he developed his own approach, making innovations
and revisions in the tone, pigment and texture.
Namka
Tashi, an incarnate Karmapa artist, born in 1500
C.E. developed the ‘Karma Gadri’ school,
or the ‘camp style of the Karma (Kagyu school)’.
He first studied painting under Könchok Penday,
from whom he learnt he learnt the strict proportions
developed by the Sharli, a metal casting school
of India. He also studied under the 5th Sharmapa,
Könchok Yenlak as well as the 4th Gyaltsap
Rinpochey, Drakpa Dondrup, who taught him how to
paint in a distinctive style which was based upon
such examples as: the Chinese thanka given to the
5th Karmapa by the Ming emperor of China; the ‘dashelma’
masks, made by artists who had witnessed the revelation
of Rangjung Dorjey’s face in the full moon
and a Chinese thanka, the ‘Yerwa Rawama’,
that depicts the sixteen Arhats of early
Buddhist tradition. Thus, Namka Tashi’s style incorporated
components from three foreign sources: Indian forms, Chinese
colour and texture and traditional Tibetan composition.
Of the three styles practiced today, the Karma Gadri is
not prevalent as the Menri or Mensar.
As thanka painting is strictly governed by iconographic
rules the separate styles are hard to discern. They can
be most easily characterized by their treatment of the
background to the paintings.
The
Mentri style is distinguished by its individual
representation of nature. In a painting typical
of the Menri school, the clouds flow and curl like
rushing water, the mountains are low and rounded
and are less packed with detail than the other major
styles of painting. The Mensar school on the other
hand, employs more detail and is characterized by
round and thick or long and thin clouds. The mountains
tend to be sharp with steep peaks, which give them
an exaggerated appearance. In a Karma Gadri painting,
more natural forms are given greater emphasis. They
are depicted in a more realistic fashion and are
not so exaggerated or dream-like. There is also
more open space and the colour green tends to predominate.
Many other artists played an important role
in the development of Tibetan thanka painting. With these,
however, the styles tended to be absorbed by one of the
schools rather than achieving a distinction of their own.
One skilled artist of the Gadri style was Karma Sidral
or Gamnyon, thought to be an emanation of the 8th Karmapa.
He developed a style of his own based upon that of the
Gadri school which became known as the ‘Second Gadri’.
Another artist of inestimable value was the great master
Dakpo Rabjum Tenpay Gyeltsen, who was highly skilled in
drawing the proportion of the three religious symbols,
which led to his proportional style also being adopted
by the Gadri school.
A number of unique styles emerged that were
also basically proponents of the Karma Gadri school. One
of these belonged to the 10th Karmapa, Chöying Dorjey,
who was born in the year 1604. During his early career
as an artist he studied the elements of the Mentri style
under the master Lhodrak Tulku Tsering. Subsequently he
developed his own style, incorporating techniques from
the Chinese and Gadri styles. Another example is the style
of Tsuklak Chökyi Nangwa, which was very similar
to the original styles of the ‘Three Tashis’
of the Karma Gadri school. This tradition became widespread
in eastern Tibet, in such regions as Nangchen and Dergey,
as well as Karmay Gönchen and Chamdo, where many
skilled painters existed who were called ‘Karsho’.
At the time that Menla Dhondrup’s
innovations were first being felt Khyentse Chenmo was
born in Gangkar Gangto. He developed an individual style,
known as ‘Khyenri’, which in fact became a
tradition distinct from Menri or any other school.
The artist Patshu Byiu of Yarto was an incarnate being
and learned person who studied painting extensively. He
studied all the techniques of the various schools selecting
the best of each and combinbing them along with his own
innovations to form also a style of his own. This became
known as ‘Byiuris’, after his nickname Byiu,
meaning bird and is distinguished by the manner of shading
and the choice of colours.
The Purpose of a Thanka Painting
A thanka painting is not simply a decoration
or a creation of beauty, but a religious object and a
medium for expressing Buddhist ideals. These works of
art function as models on which the practitioner can reflect
and meditate.
There are many reasons for commissioning a thanka, the
most common being to create an object of worship which
will lead to the accumulation of merit. For even looking
at a thanka is in itself a good deed. By meditating on
such objects, one can train the mind and gain an understanding
of certain types of awareness that that specific image
portrays. Other reasons for commissioning a thanka painting
may be to bring about good health, prosperity or long
life. Sometimes they are commissioned to aid the recovery
of a sick person, or to protect a person through vulnerable
periods in his or her life, or to help in the rebirth
of someone who has recently died. In all these cases,
a lama is usually consulted to advice on which deity should
be painted to give the greatest assistance to that person.
So if somebody dies, the family of the deceased will consult
a lama or an astrologer who will advise them which deity
would be the most propitious in assisting a good rebirth.
Thus, there are many different forms a thanka
may take depending on what the patron wishes to use the
painting for. It may portray peaceful or wrathful deities,
meditational deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dharma Protectors
or saints and their lives. Green Tara, for example, is
a female deity who is seen as the embodiment of all the
Buddhas’ enlightened activities and may be commissioned
to ensure success either in a particular project or in
a person’s long life generally. Thankas may also
depict Buddhist doctrine such as the arrangement of the
physical universe as taught in the Abhidharma, the layout
of the animate universe in the form of the Wheel of Existence,
illustrations of monastic garb, implements and practices,
as taught in the Vinaya, as well as medical and astrological
charts and diagrams. There is a wealth of subjects to
be drawn from and many reasons for commissioning a thanka,
so much so that a person may have quite a number painted
over a period of time.
The Painter and His Preparations
Whatever form the thanka takes and for whatever
reason it is commissioned, it is of the utmost importance
that the works are prepared properly and with the greatest
care. For if not, they will be of no benefit to the artist
nor to the patron, whose devout intentions will be lost
on an improper work of art.
Traditionally it is said that an artist should possess
certain characteristics: modesty, devotion to religion,
soundness of all senses, diligence and a kindly disposition.
In addition, depending on the subject of the work, it
is said that the artist may have to follow certain personal
restrictions: abstinence from meat, alcohol, onion and
garlic and strict personal cleanliness.
How
strictly an artist adheres to such ‘rule’
of conduct varies from artist to artist and on the
work that is being carried out. Cleanliness, both
in mind and body is of the utmost importance when
working on a piece and although it is likely that
the artist will abstain from eating meat, onion
or garlic, unless real purity is particularly desired,
he will not over indulge and often not consume alcohol
during that period.
Correct preparation, then, is very important in
order to ensure a high standard of cleanliness.
Normally, the artist will get up, clean his room
and wash himself before laying out the canvas, paints
and brushes. The brushes are contained in a special
box with three holes, one for each of the deities:
Avalokiteshvara (compassion),
Vajrapani (power) and Manjushri (wisdom)
who help the artist to achieve perfection in his work.
Having prepared his tools and work area, the artist then
makes a water offering, the purest of all offerings and
if he is about to start a new thanka will do a short meditation
on emptiness to purify his mind.
The meditation may take many forms. One way is for the
painter to meditate on a particular deity, which is not
necessarily the one that will be featured in the painting.
The image of the deity, Manjushri, the deity of wisdom,
for example, may be used and is placed in front of the
artist, who imagines the image melting into his body before
he generates himself as Manjushri.
The next step is to invoke the image of
the deity about to be painted. If it is one of the Taras,
for example, the artist will visualize the goddess who
then dissolves into the canvas, brushes and paints, thus
making them the essence of that deity.
The final step is the motivation for creating the thanka,
when the artist thinks of all the suffering beings in
all the different realms and remembers that he is painting
the thanka for the benefit of them all.
As well as playing a role in the purification process,
religion also underlies the necessity of cleanliness in
thanka painting. For if the artist’s mind and body
are not clean, he will be unable to invoke the deities.
It has been said that in order to paint certain images,
the artist must be an initiate of the specific cycle of
teachings they belong to. Thus, if the artist wants to
paint an image of the Kalachakra, he must have received
the initiation first. This need not always be the case.
Unless it is a particular thanka, the artist will not
have necessarily received the initiations in advance.
One monk artist related how, for example, h had once been
commissioned to paint a thanka of Vajrakila for His Holiness
the Dalai Lama. He received a blessing from a lama who
showed him how to generate the deity him, but otherwise
it was not his normal practice.
The Preparation of the Canvas
‘The painters of Tibet pursue their
art in an orderly and systemic way. When creating thanka
paintings they proceed through six clearly defined steps.
The first is the preparation of the painting surface.
Second comes the establishment of a design on that surface
by means of a sketch or transfer. The third step involves
the initial coats of paint, and that is followed by steps
four and five: shading and outlining. The sixth and last
step consists of several finishing touches.’
As a thanka painting is made to be rolled up in a scroll
fashion, it is painted on cloth whose surface has two
layers: the support and ground. The most common cloth,
or support, used today is light-weight Indian cotton of
fine but slightly open weave. An open weave allows the
‘gesso’ a kind of white paint to settle more
evenly. This underlying material holds the subsequent
layer of ground and paint. Once the artist has acquired
the cloth, it is washed, dried and cut to fit the wooden
frame upon which it is stretched. This must be done carefully
to avoid any bulging which, if it occurs, will be permanent.
Once the fabric is secured onto the frame three steps
are taken to prepare the cloth for painting. First is
the sizing of the cloth, which involves the preparation
of warm solution of hide glue which is applied to both
sides of the cloth with a large brush or a wadded rag.
Once the cloth is saturated, any excess is removed and
the cord that connects the cloth to the stretcher is tightened.
Then the canvas is aside to dry.
Secondly, the cotton support is coated with gesso. The
gesso used is a solution of either chalk or white clay,
whichever is the most available and is combined with size
solution until it reaches the consistency of buttermilk.
The mixture is then strained through a cloth to remove
any lumps and is applied to both sides of the cloth in
thin even coats with a wadding rag or gesso knife. When
the first coat has dried the artist determines if another
is necessary by holding the canvas up to the light. If
light comes through, another application of gesso is applied.
Finally the surface is polished until it is perfectly
smooth and ready for use.
The Painting of the Thanka
The drawing of a thanka is done in several
stages – first are the lines of orientation. The
most important line is the central vertical axis, which
forms the exact centre of the painting around which the
composition will be laid out. The vertical axis usually
marks the centre of the main figure – in relation
to which all the other figures of the composition are
to be positioned. The figures portrayed have to be in
perfect relationship to the central axis, any mistakes
affect the religious value of the painting.
There are eight major lines of orientation to be drawn.
The first of these are the two diagonals. These are drawn
from one corner of the canvas to its diagonal opposite
and enable the drawing of these two axes. Such lines are
drawn with the use of a chalk line or a compass. The second
lines to be drawn are the vertical axis and the horizontal
line and finally the four outer lines that define the
edges of the painting are added.
Once
the eight major lines are established the artist
can begin his sketching. The first step is to establish
the area of the main figure on the vertical axis
and its position in relation to the horizontal axis.
In order to sketch the figure properly the artist
must know the iconographic measurements of each
deity as established by Buddhist tradition. The
main iconographic classes, in order, are: buddhas,
peaceful bodhisattvas, goddesses, tall wrathful
figures, short wrathful figures, and humans. Other
iconographical systems exist with more classes that
are basically subdivisions of the above classes
with the addition of some rare types.
Once the main figure is drawn, if other
figures are to be included their position is established,
according to their status. Next, the artist works on the
surrounding area, sketching in the landscape, offerings
and so forth. For the drawing of the preliminary sketch,
the artist uses a graphite pencil or a charcoal crayon,
which allows for corrections to be made. Once the sketching
is complete the artist finalizes it by going over the
pencil sketch with a brush and black ink Inking in is
done with great care, making every effort to correct and
improve upon the pencil sketch, for, with the exception
of minor details, it determines the final design of the
painting.
The next step is to apply paint to the canvas.
This is a two step process which includes filling in the
areas of different base colours and shading and outlining
these areas. Mineral pigments, mixed with a binder of
either size or glue, are used for the initial coats of
colour, while dye and lakes are used for the shading and
outlining.
The progressive application of paint follows four principles.
To begin with, the paint is applied to the more distant
planes of the picture – sky and landscape –
then progress to the primary figure. One colour is used
at a time, being applied to all the appropriate places
whilst the paint is still fresh. Due to the shading and
tinting techniques used, the lighter colours are applied
first and the darker colours for shading and tinting are
applied later. Finally, the small features of the painting,
those that are important and to be done in light colours,
are done last so that they are not smudged during the
remainder of the painting process.
A simple example of the paint application process would
be a small one-deity thanka with a simple landscape. The
main planes are (according to distance) – the sky,
the landscape, the deity’s nimbus, and the figure
of the deity. To paint the sky, the artist prepares by
hand a suitable blue paint. He then applies this blue
first to the sky and then to wherever it is needed around
the figure, beginning with the nimbus and then the body.
After blue the next colour used is green, which is applied
in a similar manner working from the background forward
to the figure. After blues and greens the artist applies
the white and bluish and greenish-off whites to distant
objects such as the clouds and snowy peaks. For the most
part, the remaining colours are used in the forward plane,
in this order: reds, oranges, yellow, ochre, brown, pink,
white and gold.
The application of the initial coats of
paint, depending on the size and complexity of the work,
can take from a few hours or days, to a few weeks to complete.
Once complete, the artist scrapes the painting surface
smooth, in preparation for the finishing steps. After
scraping and dusting the artist rubs the surface with
a small ball of dry dough. The application of gold cannot
be done until after the scraping and cleaning as gold
needs a smooth undercoat on which to adhere properly.
Nearly every thanka has at least a little gold on it as
a religious offering.
After applying the initial coats of colour the next step
is the shading. Shading, shadowing and gradation of tones
are done to give a three dimensional quality to objects
such as clouds. There are two main methods of shading:
wet and dry. Wet shading is the blending of two wet colours,
which is done during the application of the initial coats
of colour. Dry shading is usually a secondary step and
is the application of successive thin washes of colour
over the dry preliminary coat. The main shading colours
are organic dyes and lakes; mainly indigo (blue) and lac
dye (red). Other dyes used are mainly yellow and orange.
Typically, indigo is used to shade the initial blues and
greens, lac dye is used for the areas of red, maroon,
orange, yellow or flesh colour, while yellow is used to
intensify and highlight the greens. Shading is done much
as the initial coats of colours are applied – working
from the farthest planes to the closest and working with
as much of one colour at once as possible. Shading is
an important feature of thanka painting, taking up a large
portion of the artist’s time, and is done very carefully
and precisely.
Outlining is one of the final steps in the process of
thanka painting. It is done to intensify distinct objects,
setting them off from their surroundings. It is used to
indicate any small or fine details. The colours mainly
used in outlining are indigo and lac dye, each used to
outlined shaded areas of the same colour. Other colours
used are: white, for water and bone ornaments; gold, for
nimbuses, seats, flowers, leaves, robes, multicoloured
lotuses and rocky crags. These are applied in stronger
concentrations than in shading to contrast the base colour
and the background more sharply.
The
last major step in painting the thanka is drawing
he faces of the main figures. This demands great
attention. Of the facial features the eyes receive
the greatest care, for the eyes bring the painting
to life. Of course the shapes and dimensions of
the facial features are determined by iconographic
traditions. The application of the gold with a burnishing
tool is the final step in thanka painting. There
are two main types of burnishing, flat burnishing,
in which large areas of gold are uniformly polished,
and selective burnishing, polishing certain areas
or drawing designs onto the gold with the point
of the burnisher.
Mounting the Thanka
Most thanka paintings are mounted in a brocade
frame. Although there is nothing to stipulate that it
has to be brocade or even cloth, it is a tradition that
has continued from the past.
Silk brocade is the most popular form of mounting since
it is seen as having greater religious merit than other
less expensive types of cloth. The quality of brocade
used, varies from patron to patron, but again it is generally
thought that the higher the quality, the greater the religious
value the painting will assume. Likewise, the greater
the number of brocades used, the greater the enhancement
of the painting. Often, for example, a brocade square
is sewn on to the mount below the picture to draw attention
to the subject, whilst other paintings are framed with
one or two thin strips of brocade, often red and yellow,
before being placed on the main brocade, again for emphasis.
The proportions of the mounts tend to be the same, although
sizes may vary according to the intended wall space on
which the painting is to be hung. Normally, the amount
of brocade used at the bottom equals half the size of
the thanka, whilst the amount at the top is a quarter
of the size of the thanka. Similarly, the mounting at
the edge is equal to one eighth of the size of the thanka.
One final addition may be a curtain, which tens to be
a piece of orange or yellow cotton material attached to
the top of the brocade mount and which, when let down,
covers the painting. Two thin red strips of material often
hang down in front of this. The purpose of the curtain
is mainly twofold, although not all thankas have them.
First, it is used as a form of protection, preventing
the accumulation of dust and is raised only on special
occasions and secondly it is an extra adornment to enhance
the value of the work further. Since a thanka painting
is a religious work,
it
is usual to place a white scarf at the brocade which
is not only an offering but also acts as a protection.
Consecration
Finally, if the painting is to function as a sacred
object it is consecrated through a ritual of consecration,
which is performed by a lama. During this ceremony,
which is a combination of meditation, incantation
and the recitation of prescribed mantra, the back
of the painting is inscribed with the three syllables,
which indicate the body, speech and mind of the
main figure, along with names of certain deities
and prayers of request or praise. Sometimes the
handprints, or fingerprints, of respected teachers
are placed on the back of the painting as well.
Characteristics of a Quality Thanka
Painting
Characteristics of a Quality Thanka Painting
Most of all the painting must be appealing, beautiful
and pleasing to the eye. The image must appear to be well
proportioned. There are certain characteristics to look
for in determining if the image has been done properly.
In a well executed thanka painting the feet and hands
are youthful with long tapering fingers and toes, marked
with the sign of the wheel (dharmachakra) and the endless
knot. The limbs are graceful unblemished and the anklebones
hidden. In the case of a thanka painting depicting a Buddha,
his stomach is wide; the navel twisted clockwise, the
waist well-defined and the upper body broad with rounded
shoulders. The throat is tapered, the lips red and the
nose long and pointed. The eye, the most important detail,
should resemble lotus petals with the whites and pupils
clearly defined. The eyebrows must be distinct and should
feature a fine white hair (urna) between them, whilst
the head should be large and rounded with broad forehead,
distinct hairline and the ears long and lobed. Gema Lama
states in his book The Principals of Tibetan Art that,
‘Generally the form is meant to be large and erect,
with dignified bearing and pleasing mien’. He goes
on to point out that the masculine and feminine features
‘should be clearly defined and the clothing graceful’.
Unfortunately, today, thanka painting and with it, other
aspects of Tibetan art are threatened by the influx of
fake or badly finished paintings. In many tourist areas
such as Delhi, Srinagar or Kathmandu, these pieces are
offered to the unsuspecting buyer as authentic thankas.
Many have been prematurely ‘aged’ by holding
them over butter lamps for long periods or by twisting
them tightly thereby cracking the paint to give the effect
of an old, much-used item. The symbols used in some of
these paintings have been incorporated with little or
no regard to the traditional guidelines laid down over
the centuries. Often the grids have been badly or incorrectly
drawn and the figures and features from many different
mandalas combined into one picture. Furthermore, the silks
and paints used are often of inferior quality, which often
leads to cracking.
Though
authentic thanka paintings belonging to Tibetans
may have been sold in the years immediately following
their flight from Tibet because of the initial hardship
suffered by many families, it is very doubtful that
authentic thanka paintings are for sale everywhere
now. The sale of religious artifacts is contrary
to Buddhist principles and only through the commissioning
of an artist as outlined earlier can one acquire
a thanka painting. The inferior paintings available
at present are of little or no artistic value as
most are of crude workmanship and resemble a mosaic
of Buddhist symbols, deities, entourage and environments
rather than a properly constructed painting.
These paintings certainly have no religious
value because of the lack of religious intent by the artist
and as His Holiness the Dalai Lama has frequently pointed
out it benefits neither Tibetans nor Tibetan art and culture
for this trade to continue. Thanka paintings are religious
works of art intended to aid the devotion and prayers
of Buddhist practitioners and herein lies their true value.
Mural Painting
Many of the techniques used in mural painting
are similar to those used in thanka painting and often
in the past qualified thanka painters were commissioned
to decorate the walls and even furniture of public buildings,
monasteries and private houses in Tibet.
Whereas
the function of a thanka painting is primarily religious
and serves as a means of protection, the purpose
of a mural painting is more decorative. Its subjects,
therefore, tend to be diverse ranging from mythological
figures and auspicious symbols to animals, birds,
trees and flowers. They are often subjects that
may feature in a thanka painting but never as the
focal point. Thus in private houses, it would be
quite common to have a series of ‘medallions’,
about a metre in diameter, drawn on the walls of
a room depicting scenes from various mythological
tales known stories such as ‘The Four Harmonious
Brothers’ which in this case would feature
the grouse, the hare, the monkey and the elephant.
Ordinary people and events were also often drawn,
particularly in important buildings, such
as the Potala, where a mural would always be painted depicting
the building’s construction, as well as the ground
plans. Mural paintings are always enhanced with a border
painted immediately below the ceiling. Ornately decorated
with a pattern of flowers, the boarder is made to look
like a curtain, where even the folds of the material as
well as the tassles are carefully drawn in. This is usually
balanced by three stripes, again florally decorated, which
line the walls at the base of the windows running parallel
to the border at the top. In addition to those of non-religious
subjects, many religious murals also exist. The decorations
in temples are always religious and feature many deities,
all of whom have a certain position within the building
according to their status and function. Pictures of the
more exalted figures, such as the Lord Buddha are always
painted behind the main altar and face the protective
deities who line the back wall of the temple. In front
of the main door are placed the Four Guardian Kings, whose
bodies are painted white, blue, red and yellow as they
protect the East, South, West and North respectively and
who stand next to a painting of the wheel of cyclic existence.
When a religious mural is painted, the artist
follows the same traditional guidelines carried out in
thanka painting. Thus the same careful preparation and
rituals are done before the work is begun and he uses
the same system of grids and proportions as those used
in a thanka painting. Likewise, the painting is consecrated
upon completion. The same bright colours that are used
in thanka painting are used in mural work, although the
type of paint is different as well as the method of application
because of the contrasting surfaces. Unlike thanka painting,
where the colours are added one on top of each other to
achieve a fine degree of shading, when painting a mural,
the colours are applied at the same time and mixed on
the wall itself to achieve the desired shade, thus using
the wall as a kind of palette. So, when painting a pink
flower, both the white and red paint are applied together
and mixed until the correct pink is obtained.
Mural
painting has always featured heavily in Tibetan
architecture, much of which was unfortunately destroyed
by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution. Brightly
painted furniture, for example, which was found
in most Tibetan households, had to be painted over,
or in the case of poorer people who could not afford
the paint, darkened with mud or charcoal and it
was a long time before it could be removed. It is
only recently that mural painting has begun to be
revived properly both in Tibet and in exile, where,
as the need to ensure that Tibetan culture does
not die, every effort is being made to revive and
continue the traditions carried out in the past.
Painting Guilds
Most thanka painters in Tibet belonged to
a painting guild. For not only was it considered prestigious,
since entry was difficult, but it automatically guaranteed
a steady income of work at a high level. As with other
building guilds, the artistic guilds carried out a variety
of work, both public and private, which ranged from the
creation of thanka paintings, private mural work and the
painting of furniture to the restoration and decoration
of larger edifices, such as monasteries, temples and public
buildings.
Hierarchy played a considerable role, not
only amongst the artistic guilds but amongst the other
building guilds as well. Since much of the painters’
work was of a religious nature, the artistic guilds assumed
a superior status to those of the carpenters’ or
masons’ guilds. It was for this reason that they
were also exempt from having an organized administration,
which gave them greater individual freedom in the type
of work they undertook. Levels of superiority also featured
amongst the artistic guilds themselves. The ones with
the greatest prestige were the five or six who had official
recognition and who consequently carried out all government
work. This, however, did not prevent the other guilds
from carrying out any type of work. Then, within the guilds
themselves, five or six ranks of seniority existed.
The guilds mostly collapsed or became inactive
following the Chinese occupation, especially during the
Cultural Revolution when art and culture was repressed.
In the late 1970s, when restoration work began and artists
were allowed to paint openly again, instead of reestablishing
the guilds, government-run cooperatives were set up, to
which all artists had to belong if they wanted to work.
Even today, when much greater freedom reigns, the guilds
are yet to reappear.
Bibliography
Dagyab, Loden Sherap, Tibetan Religious Art, Wiesbaden,
Otto Harrassowitz, 1977.
Jackson, David P. & Janice A., Tibetan Thangka Painting,
London, Serindia Publications, 1984.
Lama, Gega, Principles of Tibetan Art, Belgium, Karma
Sonam Gyantso Ling.
Pal, Pratapaditya, Tibetan Paintings, Switzerland, Basilius
Press, 1984.
Tucci, Guiseppe, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, Kyoto, Rinsen
Book Co., 1980 (originally published by Liberia Dello
Sato, 1949.)
With special thanks to Venerable Sangyay Yeshe and Temba
Chöphel.
This thangka information was published in
one website and collected from internet source,
written by Mathew Kapsner & Tania Wynniatte-Husey
Compliled and re-published in website by
NepalsCraft.com to share the information
and published as is available basis with no additional
editing. Thanks to original compiler..
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