EXHIBITION THANKA PAINTINGS

 An exhibition of Tibetan Thangka paintings will transform the Powerhouse’s Turbine Platform into a sacred space of stunning buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities. All paintings done by Tibetan Artists in Exile.

 

Introduction

Thangkas are used by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners to help them develop a close relationship with a meditational deity. They assist the meditator in clearly visualizing particular images. Commissioning a thangka painting is regarded as a way of generating spiritual merit. Thangkas are also used to portray members of a teaching lineage or, in a narrative form, to depict a spiritual master’s life, often involving scenes of intricate detail. The earliest instances of Tibetan painting date from the 7th century CE, when Buddhism first had an impact on Tibet, during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo.

The Process

The canvas is stretched over a wooden frame using a cord that allows tension to be adjusted after the cloth has been sealed with a moist mixture of chalk and gesso. The surface is polished with a smooth stone or glass, until the underlying texture of the canvas is no longer apparent. The design for the painting is then drawn directly onto the taut surface using charcoal or pencil. Once the initial sketch is complete, the lines are redrawn in ink and the details are refined. Colours are applied, beginning with the distant planes of the painting and completed with gold embellishments. When the painting is finally complete, it is mounted in silk brocade.

Training

The Thangka painting training begins with 3 years of foundational drawing. This allows apprentices both to perfect their drawing technique and to master the vast array of figures, images and symbols belonging to the Tibetan iconographic tradition. In preparation for beginning to paint, they learn how to prepare a canvas, how to distinguish the natural vegetable and mineral sources of pigments and how to prepare them. Apprentices begin to paint and develop their skills with colour under the close supervision of the Master Thangka Painter and his assistants. Progressing from painting larger forms to subtle details such as the eyes of the meditational deities, training is complete when the artist is able to work with gold.