Friday 28 December 2012

Thangka Art




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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