Thangka is a painting on silk with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity. Unlike oil painting or acrylic
painting, it is not a flat structure but consists of a picture panel which
is painted or embroidered over which a textile is mounted and then over which silk is laid. It is
sometimes called a scroll-painting.
Images of deities painted on
Thangkas are used as teaching tools in the monasteries by monks describing
historical events concerning Lamas, or retelling myths associated with other
deities. These devotional images act as the centerpiece during a ritual or
ceremony and are often used as mediums through which one can offer prayers or
make requests. It is also used as a mediation tool to enlighten oneself.
Thangkas can be grouped into two broad categories based on
technique and material as painted and those made of silk. But they are further
divided into these more specific categories as Painted in colors, Appliqué, Black
Background, Block prints, Embroidery, Gold Background, Red Background.
In general, Thangkas are fairly small, between about 18 and
30 inches tall or wide, but however there are also giant festivals
Thangkas like Appliqué, and designed to be unrolled against a wall in a
monastery for particular religious occasions. One fine example is the Tibetan tsakli, which is a miniature
Thangka, but usually used as initiation cards or offerings.
Thangkas
are painted on cotton or silk. The paint consists
of pigments in a water soluble medium. Both mineral and organic
pigments are used, tempered with an herb and glue solution. In Western
terminology, this is adistemper technique. Thangkas involves highly
geometric composition. Arms, legs, eyes, nostrils,
ears, and various ritual implements are all laid out on a systematic grid of
angles and intersecting lines. The process seems very methodical, but often
requires deep understanding of the symbolism involved to capture the spirit of
it.
Thangka often overflow with symbolism and allusion. Because the
art is explicitly religious, all symbols and allusions must be in accordance
with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scripture. The artist must be
properly trained and have sufficient religious understanding, knowledge, and background to create an accurate and appropriate thangka.
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