Thangka, a revered form of handcrafted national intangible cultural heritage, showcases remarkable artistry and cultural depth. One notable piece, the “Ming Yongle Imperial Embroidered Red Yamantaka Thangka,” achieved a record-breaking HK$348 million at auction. This sale highlights the immense collector’s value associated with these artistic treasures. Moreover, the value of a buddhist thangka can significantly increase annually.
The Significance of Thangka Paintings
The immense value of a thangka stems from its complex creation process. It also derives from the profound cultural, artistic, and religious meaning it carries. Let’s explore the detailed steps involved in producing these magnificent works of art.
The Painting Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating a thangka is a meticulous undertaking, starting with the careful selection of materials and a multi-stage painting process.
1. Canvas Selection: The Foundation
First, artists choose a suitable canvas. They prefer light-colored, finely woven cotton or silk. They avoid thick or hard materials to prevent paint damage. For large pieces, they sew multiple sections together with care. The seams shouldn’t disturb the image’s flow.
2. Securing the Canvas: Preparing the Base
Next, artisans sew the canvas onto a thin wooden frame. The frame’s thickness is similar to that of a pencil. They stretch the canvas tightly and then tie the frame to a “Tang Zhuo,” a painting stand. They use strong ropes to create a zigzag pattern for secure attachment.
3. Applying Glue and Polishing: Preparing the Surface
After that, they apply a thin layer of glue to the canvas. This base coat prevents the paint from seeping and ensures its true color. Once dried, they add a thin layer of lime paste. Following this, they polish the surface using a smooth object. This process makes the texture of the cloth disappear.
4. Correcting the Canvas: Ensuring Alignment
Following the polishing, artists adjust the canvas’s warp and weft. This step ensures that the lines are straight and the drawing goes smoothly.
5. Drawing the Lines: Creating the Framework
Now, they draw the main positioning lines. These include the borders, central vertical lines, and diagonal lines. They also mark any other necessary outlines.
6. Sketching and Outlining: Bringing the Image to Life
Using charcoal, the artist creates a sketch of the Buddha image, referred to as “White Drawing”. Following this, they outline the sketch with ink, creating an “Black Drawing”. This stage sets the foundation for the final painting.
7. Coloring: Adding Depth and Dimension
Then, they add colors based on the scene depicted. They apply one color at a time, starting with lighter shades and moving to darker ones. For Buddha images, they paint the lotus seat first, then the ornaments and lastly, the body. In backgrounds, lighter colors are used before dark tones.
8. Outlining and Gold Detailing: Enhancing the Details
After coloring, gold paint is carefully used to create patterns on the clothing. They also use colored lines to outline decorations. This step enhances the visual appeal and intricacy of the thangka.
9. Opening the Face: The Final Touch
Finally, the artist paints the eyes, lips, nostrils, and fingernails. This crucial step brings the painting to completion. Often seen as a secret technique, elders often pass down this skill within their families. Tradition dictates that a lucky day is chosen for this step.
Mounting: Completing the Thangka
After completing the painting, the thangka undergoes a complex mounting process.
The Mounting Process
Emperor Qianlong instructed artisans to mount thangka in the Tibetan style. However, the mounting style in the Qing court had subtle differences. By 1760, the mounting process for Thangkas in the imperial court became standardized.
Adding Borders and Teeth
First, they add small borders called “teeth” to the painted center’s four sides. These teeth use many colors and are often red and yellow. Sometimes, only a single layer of brocade is used. Outside the teeth is a border, with small white lines stitching the junction. At the border’s edge, more white or red and white lines are added. These have become hallmarks of palace mounting.
The Border: Framing the Artwork
The border is divided into the sky, earth, left side, and right side panels. The materials used are very important. These may include red and blue brocade, plain brocade, or gold-leaf satin. For significant thangka pieces, more precious materials are used. Special materials, like red cloud-dragon gold-leaf satin, were used for birthday themed pieces.
The Tang Gate and Scroll Rod
A piece of satin, the Tang Gate, is often sewn at the bottom of standard Tibetan thangka. However, palace thangka, except imitations, do not use this. Moreover, the old mounting of tribute pieces was often replaced. Following this, a scroll rod is added at the bottom. A top rod is added at the top. They used materials like sandalwood, and cedar for these rods. The rod heads are very ornate and are often made from various precious metals.
The Buddha Curtain and Tassels
Finally, a Buddha curtain is added to the top rod. It is made of five-colored brocade. On the curtain’s exterior, two colored ribbons are sewn. These ribbons hang down with bird-beak ends. Two hooks with rings are attached to the top rod and tied with colored tassels. The tassels are used for hanging the thangka and tying it up when rolled.
Consecration: Imbuing with Spiritual Power
Thangka paintings with Buddhist themes require consecration. On the back, they write Sanskrit syllables in red. They then invite a lama to chant blessings. Some thangka include consecration texts. Others may have handprints or signatures as forms of consecration. Believers regard consecrated images as sacred, believing they receive Buddha’s blessings through worship.
Cultural and Historical Significance: A Rich Tapestry
Thangka is considered an “Encyclopedia of Tibetan Culture”. The art form covers various themes. These include religion, history, politics, economics, culture, legends, and medicine.
Religious and Non-Religious Categories
Religious categories include Mandala paintings, Jataka tales, and depictions of deities. Non-religious categories include historical events, stories, and medicine. Among these, Buddha images are very common. The paintings typically have a central figure and fill the space clockwise with related images and stories.
Historical Thangka Paintings
Some thangka are based on historical facts. They focus on significant political events. For example, some works depict the life of Songtsen Gampo or the story of Princess Wencheng entering Tibet. These paintings portray the interactions between Tibetan and Han cultures. In the Potala Palace, one painting depicts the Fifth Dalai Lama’s visit to the Shunzhi Emperor.
Thangka’s Connection to Buddhism
The origins and development of the buddhist thangka closely tie to Tibetan Buddhism. Its rise coincided with the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet. As nomadic life was common, the portable nature of thangka paintings met the religious needs of mobile believers. This led to the thriving development of the art. Some refer to thangka as “mobile murals”. Ultimately, this created a situation where Tibetan temples are “halls of Buddhist painting art.”
Function of Thangkas
This art form primarily serves religious life. Temples house the majority of thangka, and these are used for worship. Individuals also use thangka to decorate their scripture halls.
The creation of a thangka involves strict and meticulous processes. The collector’s value is reflective of this intricate production and its cultural significance.
Meta Description: Explore the detailed process of creating a thangka, a Tibetan Buddhist art form, from painting to mounting, and understand its cultural importance.
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