Thangka

Thangka

　　Thangka refers to scroll paintings. These artworks are typically painted on silk or cloth, and because they often depict religious content,

　　and are easy to carry, they are widely popular in Tibetan regions. Thangka is one of the main forms of local Tibetan painting art.

　　　　Thangkas cover a wide range of themes, including not only religious content but also a large amount of historical and folk elements, so thangkas are also referred to as the “encyclopedia” of understanding Tibet. Tibetan thangkas are scroll paintings mounted on colored satin, featuring distinct ethnic characteristics, strong religious tones, and a unique artistic style, and have always been regarded as treasures.

　　　　Tibetan thangkas emerged as a new form of painting art during the period of King Songtsen Gampo. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the art of Tibetan thangka reached a new peak. Thangkas from this period are characterized by a significant increase in quantity and the emergence of different stylistic schools. Generally speaking, thangkas from the front part of Tibet are meticulously composed, finely executed, especially skilled in portraiture and in capturing the inner world of characters, with bold and vivid coloring, belonging to the brush-color painting technique.

　　　　The thangkas seen today, also known as cloth paintings, emerged after the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet. Along with the spread of Buddhism across the Tibetan Plateau, the infiltration of foreign cultures and arts injected fresh vitality into thangka art. On the one hand, it carried forward and updated the original artistic features, and on the other, it absorbed artistic essences from Han China, India, Nepal, and other regions, gradually forming a distinctive artistic genre. Thangkas are painted on a base of coarse linen or rough cloth. The more precious ones use silk as the base.

　　　　The production process begins with constructing a wooden frame, sewing the edges of the base cloth onto four thin wooden sticks, and then using ropes threaded through the sticks to stretch the cloth taut over the frame. A paste made from animal glue and talcum powder is evenly applied to the base cloth to make it smooth, even, hole-free, clean, and bright. After application, a thin tool is used to scrape the paste flat and even. Once the base cloth is dry, charcoal lines are used to sketch the outline of the image, usually starting from the inside out—first drawing the central main image and then adding the surrounding details. Finally, colors are applied.

　　　　The pigments used in painting thangkas are all opaque mineral and plant-based pigments, mixed in proportion with some animal glue and ox bile. This formula is scientifically sound, and thanks to the dry climate of the Tibetan Plateau, the thangkas remain vibrant in color even centuries later, as though freshly painted masterpieces.

　　　　The most common size of thangkas is the vertical scroll format, with a large blank space left at the bottom. The typical dimensions are 75 cm in length and 50 cm in width. In addition to the vertical scroll format, there are also horizontal scroll thangkas, with larger ones measuring approximately 1.1 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width.

　　　　Based on the materials used in making thangkas, they can be divided into two main categories: those made of silk are called “gos-thang,” and those painted with pigments are called “bris-thang.”

　　　　(1) Gos-Thang

　　　　Depending on the type of silk used, “gos-thang” can be further divided into the following five types:

　　　　(1) Embroidered “gos-thang”: A type of thangka hand-embroidered with various colored silk threads. (2) Appliqué “gos-thang”: This type is made by cutting colored silk into various shapes and then sewing the pieces together with a needle to form the picture.

　　　　(3) Patchwork “gos-thang”: Similar to (2), but the cut pieces of colored cloth are glued onto the canvas to form the image (much like today’s fabric collages – translator’s note). (4) Woven “gos-thang”: A thangka woven from silk threads.

　　　　(5) Printed “gos-thang”: This type is printed directly onto silk using ink or cinnabar pigments with stencils. The stencils are mainly made of wood, occasionally copper or iron.

　　　　The largest type of “gos-thang” is called “gos-gu,” which is so large that it cannot be casually displayed. In fact, it is only used on special occasions. The large “gos-gu” thangkas are hung on the outer walls of temples or on specially constructed walls designed to display them. The largest “gos-gu” thangka at the Potala Palace is approximately 55.8 meters high and 46.81 meters wide. This thangka was created under the supervision of Regent Sangye Gyatso after the passing of the famous Fifth Dalai Lama and depicts Amitabha Buddha.

　　　　(2) Bris-Thang

　　　　Due to the variety of painting techniques, these thangkas come in many types, primarily distinguished by the different colors of the pigments used for the backgrounds.

　　　　(1) Color thangka: A type of thangka with a background painted in various colors.

　　　　(2) Gold thangka: A type of thangka with a background painted in gold-colored pigment.

　　　　(3) Vermilion thangka: A type of thangka with a background painted in vermilion-colored pigment.

　　　　(4) Black thangka: A type of thangka with a background painted solely in black ink.

　　　　(5) Printed bris-thang: The production method is similar to that of printed gos-thang, with the only difference being that gos-thang are printed on silk canvases, while bris-thang are painted on silk canvases.

　　　　The largest bris-thang measures 3 meters in length and 2 meters in width, while the smallest ones are only 30 cm long and 20 cm wide.