Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas
A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually
depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a
mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in
Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha,
various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are
also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the
most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel
of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed
that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the
murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in
India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet.
Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually
small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and
has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and
background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.
The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely
woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas
was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.
After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with
a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The
drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines
laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the
artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the
drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then
outlined with black ink.
Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing
powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a
water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints
instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet
and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a
thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black,
green, yellow, etc.
In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the
thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification,
thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other
ordinary paintings.
Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display
on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front,
and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting
damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are
recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where
there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a
long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is
an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A
skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed
thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas
that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.