Thangka
Thangka, seen in every monastery and family shrine in Tibet, is actually a kind of Tibetan scroll-banner painting and is a unique type of art that belongs to the Tibetan culture. It generally falls into several categories according to the techniques involved; namely painted Thangka, weaving Thangka, embroidery and paster Thangka, etc. Among them, painted Thangkas are most commonly seen. Thangka appeared around the tenth century, as a combination of Chinese scroll painting, Nepal painting and Kashmir painting. They are usually placed upright in a rectangular shape while there are a few that deals with subjects of Mandala that are square. Cotton canvas and linen cloth are the common fabrics on which pictures are painted on with mineral and organic pigments (important ones use ground gold and gemstones as pigments). A typical Thangka has a printed or embroidered picture mounted on a piece of colorful silk. A wooden stick is attached on the side from the bottom to the top to make it easier to hang and roll up. Its content cover various subjects including Tibetan astrology, pharmacology, theology, Mandala, images of great adepts, deities and Buddhas, and Jataka stories of the Buddha. Painted Thangka
Thangka, a kind of Tibetan scroll-banner painting |
Karma Gadri tradition and Menri Karma Gadri tradition are the two major schools of Tibetan Thangka Painting.