THANGKA ART
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Process to create Thangka
Thangkas are painted on cotton or
silk. The most common is a loosely woven cotton produced in widths from 40 to
58 centimeters (16 - 23 inches). While some variations do exist, thangkas
wider than 45 centimeters (17 or 18 inches) frequently have seams in the
support. The paint consists of pigments in a water soluble medium. Both mineral and organic pigments are
used, tempered with a herb and glue solution. In Western terminology, this is adistemper technique.
The
composition of a thangka, as with the majority of Buddhist art, is highly geometric. Arms, legs,
eyes, nostrils, ears, and various ritual implements are all laid out on a
systematic grid of angles and intersecting lines. A skilled thangka artist will
generally select from a variety of predesigned items to include in the
composition, ranging from alms bowls and animals, to the shape, size, and angle
of a figure's eyes, nose, and lips. 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. Lipton and Ragnubs clarify this in Treasures of Tibetan Art:
“Tibetan art exemplifies
the nirmanakaya, the physical body of Buddha, and
also the qualities of the Buddha, perhaps in the form of a deity. Art objects,
therefore, must follow rules specified in the Buddhist scriptures regarding
proportions, shape, color, stance, hand positions, and attributes in order to
personify correctly the Buddha or Deities.”
Technique woodblock printing
The wood block is carefully
prepared as a relief matrix,
which means the areas to show 'white' are cut away with a knife, chisel, or
sandpaper leaving the characters or image to show in 'black' at the original
surface level. The block was cut along the grain of the wood. It is only
necessary to ink the block and bring it into firm and even contact with the
paper or cloth to achieve an acceptable print. The content would of course
print "in reverse" or mirror-image, a further complication when text
was involved. The art of carving the woodcut is technically known as xylography, though the term is rarely used
in English.
For
colour printing, multiple blocks are used, each for one colour, although
overprinting two colours may produce further colours on the print. Multiple
colours can be printed by keying the paper to a frame around the woodblocks.
There
are three methods of printing to consider:
Types
Based on technique and material, thangkas can be grouped by types.
Generally, they are divided into two broad categories: those that are painted
(Tib.) bris-tan—and those made of silk, either by appliqué or embroidery.
Thangkas are further divided into these more specific categories:
Ø Painted in colors (Tib.) tson-tang—the most
common type
Ø Appliqué (Tib.) go-tang
Ø Black Background—meaning gold line on a black
background (Tib.) nagtang
Ø Blockprints—paper or cloth outlined renderings,
by woodcut woodblock printing
Ø Embroidery (Tib.) tsem-thang
Ø Gold Background—an auspicious treatment, used judiciously
for peaceful, long-life deities and fully enlightened buddhas
Ø Red Background—literally gold line, but
referring to gold line on a vermillion (Tib.) mar-tang
Whereas typical thangkas are fairly small, between about 18 and
30 inches tall or wide, there are also giant festival thangkas, usually
Appliqué, and designed to be unrolled against a wall in a monastery for
particular religious occasions. These are likely to be wider than they are
tall, and may be sixty or more feet across and perhaps twenty or more high.
Thangka
A "Thangka,"
also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka"
(Nepali pronunciation: [ˈThaŋka]; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa:
Pauwa) is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery,
usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala of some sort. The thankga is not a
flat creation like an oil painting or acrylic painting but consists of a picture panel which
is painted or embroidered over which a textile is mounted and then over which is laid
a cover, usually silk. Generally, thankgas
last a very long time and retain much of their lustre, but because of their
delicate nature, they have to be kept in dry places where moisture won't affect
the quality of the silk. It is sometimes called a scroll-painting.
These
thangka served as important teaching tools depicting the life of the Buddha,
various influential lamas and other deities and bodhisattvas.
One subject is The Wheel of Life,
which is a visual representation of the Abhidharma teachings (Art of Enlightenment).
To
Buddhists these Tibetan religious paintings offer a beautiful manifestation of
the divine, being both visually and mentally stimulating.
Thangka,
when created properly, perform several different functions. Images of deities
can be used as teaching tools when depicting the life (or lives) of the Buddha,
describing historical events concerning important Lamas, or retelling myths
associated with other deities. 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. Overall, and perhaps most importantly, religious art
is used as a meditation tool to help bring one further down the path to
enlightenment. The Buddhist Vajrayana practitioner uses a thanga image of
their yidam, or meditation
deity, as a guide, by visualizing “themselves as being that deity, thereby
internalizing the Buddha qualities (Lipton, Ragnubs).”
Historians note that Chinese
painting had a
profound influence on Tibetan painting in general. Starting from the 14th and
15th century, Tibetan painting had incorporated many elements from the Chinese,
and during the 18th century, Chinese painting had a deep and far-stretched
impact on Tibetan visual art.[1] According to Giuseppe
Tucci, by the time of the Qing
Dynasty, "a new Tibetan art was then developed,
which in a certain sense was a provincial echo of the Chinese 18th century's
smooth ornate preciosity.
History
Thangka is a Nepalese art form exported to Tibet after Princess Brikuti of Nepal, daughter of King Lichchavi, marred Sro Tsan Gampo, the ruler of Tibet imported the images of Aryawalokirteshwar and other Nepalese deities to Tibet. History of Thangka paintings in Nepal began in 11th century A. D. when Buddhists and Hindus began to make illustration of the deities and natural scenes. Historically, Tibetan and Chinese influence in Nepalese paintings is quite evident in Paubhas (Thangkas). Paubhas are of two types, the Palas which are illustrative paintings of the deities and the Mandala, which are mystic diagrams paintings of complex test prescribed patterns of circles an square each having specific significance. It was through Nepal that Mahayana Buddhism was introduced into Tibet during reign of Angshuvarma in the seventh century A. D. There was therefore a great demand for religious icons and Buddhist manuscripts for newly built monasteries throughout Tibet. A number of Buddhist manuscripts, including Prajnaparamita, were copied in Kathmandu Valley for these monasteries. astasahas rika Prajnaparamita for example, was copied in Patan in the year 999 A. D., during the reign of Narendra Dev and Udaya Deva, for the Sa-Shakya monastery in Tibet. For the Nor monastery in Tibet, two copies were made in Nepal-one of Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita in 1069 A. D. and the other of Kavyadarsha in 1111 A. D. The influence of Nepalese art extended till Tibet and even beyond in China in regular order during the thirteenth century. Nepalese artisan were dispatched to the courts of Chinese emperors at their request to perform their workmanship and impart expert knowledge. The exemplary contribution made by the artisans of Nepal, specially by the Nepalese innovator and architect Balbahu, known by his popular name "Arniko" bear testimony to this fact even today. After the introduction of paper, palm leaf because less popular; however, it continued to be used until the eighteenth century. Paper manuscripts imitated the oblong shape but were wider than the palm leaves.
From the fifteenth century
onwards, brighter colours gradually began to appear in Nepalese.Thanka /
Thangka. Because of the growing importance of the Tantric cult, various aspects
of Shiva and Shakti were painted in conventional poses. Mahakala, Manjushri,
Lokeshwara and other deities were equally popular and so were also frequently
represented in Thanka / Thangka paintings of later dates. As Tantrism embodies
the ideas of esoteric power, magic forces, and a great variety of symbols,
strong emphasis is laid on the female element and sexuality in the paintings of
that period.
Religious paintings worshipped as
icons are known as Paubha in Newari and Thanka / Thangka in Tibetan. The origin
of Paubha or Thanka / Thangka paintings may be attributed to the Nepalese
artists responsible for creating a number of special metal works and wall-
paintings as well as illuminated manuscripts in Tibet. Realizing the great
demand for religious icons in Tibet, these artists, along with monks and
traders, took with them from Nepal not only metal sculptures but also a number
of Buddhist manuscripts. To better fulfil the ever - increasing demand Nepalese
artists initiated a new type of religious painting on cloth that could be
easily rolled up and carried along with them. This type of painting became very
popular both in Nepal and Tibet and so a new school of Thanka / Thangka
painting evolved as early as the ninth or tenth century and has remained
popular to this day. One of the earliest specimens of Nepalese Thanka / Thangka
painting dates from the thirteenth /fourteenth century and shows Amitabha
surrounded by Bodhisattva. Another Nepalese Thanka / Thangka with three dates
in the inscription (the last one corresponding to 1369 A.D.), is one of the
earliest known Thanka / Thangka with inscriptions. The "Mandalaof Vishnu
" dated 1420 A.D., is another fine example of the painting of this period.
Early Nepalese Thangkas are simple in design and composition. The main deity, a
large figure, occupies the central position while surrounded by smaller figures
of lesser divinities.
Thanka / Thangka painting is one
of the major science out the five major and five minor fields of knowledge. Its
origin can be traced all the way back to the time of Lord Buddha. The main
themes of Thanka / Thangka paintings are religious. During the reign of Dharma
King Trisong, Duetsen the Tibetan masters refined there already well developed
arts through research and studies of different country's tradition. Thanka
painting's lining and measurement, costumes, implementations and ornaments are
all based on Indian style. The drawing of figures are based on Nepalese style
and the background sceneries are based on Chinese style. Thus, the Thanka /
Thangka paintings became a unique and distinctive art.
Thanka / Thangka have developed
in the northern Himalayan regions among the Lamas. Besides Lamas, Gurung and
Tamang communities are also producing Tankas, which provide substantial
employment opportunities for many people in the hills. Newari Thankas (Also
known as Paubha) has been the hidden art work in Kathmandu valley from 13th
century. We have preserved this art and are exclusively creating this with some
particular painter family who have inherited their art from their
forefathers.Some of the artistic religious and historical paintings are also
done by the Newars of Kathmandu Valley.
Manjushree Thangka
Munjushree is the embodiment of the characteristics of enlightened Mind. Manjushree has the ability to see the nature of reality as it is. He is seen holding the flaming sword wisdom with his right hand and a book called Prainaparmita with this left hand. He has many name such as Manjuvajra, Manjughosa, Vagishvara, Arpacana etc. In Mahayana Buddhist tradition he is regarded as having supreme wisdom among Boddhisattvas. He is also called prince of the Dharma because of this eloquent wisdom.
Manjushree or Thngka will bring wisdom and enlightened your mind.
Manjushree or Thngka will bring wisdom and enlightened your mind.
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Munjushree is the embodiment of the characteristics of enlightened Mind. Manjushree has the ability to see the nature of reality as it is...
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Green Tara appears as young beautiful maiden. Green Tara body is in green color. Green Tara has one face and two arms. She wears a crown ...
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Thanka are religious paintings that used to be worshiped as icons in Nepalese and Tibetan culture. It is believed that Thanka painting ha...