Thangka

"Thanka" redirects here. For the Native American leader, see Si Thanka.

19th Century Mongolian distemper painting with highlights of gold, depicting Shakyamuni flanked by Avalokiteśvara and Manjushri The form of Manjushri depicted here, is not wielding the characteristic flaming sword, but there are many forms of the eight great bodhisattvas, some are based on the Indian tradition, and other from visions of historical masters.

A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" (Nepali pronunciation: [ˈt̪ʰaŋka]; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa: पौभा) is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, famous scene, or mandala of some sort. The thankga is not a flat creation like an oil painting or acrylic painting. Rather, it 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.

Originally, thangka painting became popular among traveling monks because the scroll paintings were easily rolled and transported from monastery to monastery. These thangka served as important teaching tools depicting the life of the Buddha, various influential lamas and other deities and bodhisattvas. One popular 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. 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 Bhrikuti of Nepal, daughter of King Lichchavi, married Sron Tsan Gampo, the ruler of Tibet imported the images of Aryawalokirteshwar and other Nepalese deities to Tibet.

Types

Large thangka hanging on special wall at Gyantse. 1938.

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:

• Painted in colors (Tib.) tson-tang—the most common type
• Appliqué (Tib.) go-tang
• Black Background—meaning gold line on a black background (Tib.) nagtang
• Blockprints—paper or cloth outlined renderings, by woodcut/woodblock printing
• Embroidery (Tib.) tsem-thang
• Gold Background—an auspicious treatment, used judiciously for peaceful, long-life deities and fully enlightened buddhas
• 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. The world's longest thangka from antiquity is believed to be a 24 K gold thangka from the 12th century and is displayed in the Zenji Museum.

Process

Painting Thangka in Lhasa, Tibet.

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 a distemper 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.”

Gallery

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  Tibetan thangka of the Hayagriva

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  'The Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya', Tibetan thangka, late 13th century, Honolulu Academy of Arts. The background consists of multiple images of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.

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  17th century Central Tibetan thanka of Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra, Rubin Museum of Art

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  18th century Eastern Tibeten thanka, with the Green Tara (Samaya Tara Yogini) in the center and the Blue, Red, White and Yellow taras in the corners, Rubin Museum of Art

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  Bhutanese thangka of Mt. Meru and the Buddhist Universe, 19th century, Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa, Bhutan

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  Painted Bhutanese Medicine Buddha mandala with the goddess Prajnaparamita in center, 19th century, Rubin Museum of Art

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  Bhutanese Drukpa Kagyu applique Buddhist lineage thangka with Shakyamuni Buddha in center, 19th century, Rubin Museum of Art

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  Bhutanese painted complete mandala, 19th century, Seula Gonpa, Punakha, Bhutan

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  Bhutanese painted thangka of Guru Nyima Ozer, late 19th century, Do Khachu Gonpa, Chukha, Bhutan

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  Bhutanese painted thangka of Milarepa (1052-1135), late 19th-early 20th century, Dhodeydrag Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan

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  Bhutanese painted thangka of the Jataka Tales, 18th-19th century, Phajoding Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan

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  Wheel of Life, From about 1800, Birmingham Museum of Art

See also

• Bhavachakra
• Mandala

References

• Lipton, Barbara and Ragnubs, Nima Dorjee. Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. Oxford University Press, New York. 1996
• Art of Enlightenment: A persepective on the Sacred Art of Tibet, Yeshe De Project. Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, CA 1987.
• http:/www.dinkunstner.com", for thangka paintings

External links

• More than 4500 pages of sacred Tibetan art from Dharmapala Thangka Centre - Kathmandu | Nepal
• Tibetan Thangka Painting courses by Carmen Mensink
• A selection of hi-res downloadable thangkas | Pure View
• Andy Weber - Master Thanka Painter
• 'Thanka blessing in Nepal
• 'Norbulingka thangka's Norbulingka Institute - Tibetan Thangka Paintings from the Tibetan Government's Institute under the Chairmanship of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
• Video: giant Thangka unfurling ceremony
• Articles on Tibetan Thangkas - by artelino
• Movie about Newari Thangka painting in Nepal