Introduction to Thangka Collecting

Introduction to Thangka Collecting

A Thangka is a painted or embroidered banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. The most common shape of a Thangka is the upright rectangular form.

Thangka can be displayed on wall as Tapestry or frame it directly like other common oil painting and hang the frame on the wall. However, a lot of People collect Thangkas for personal collection by rolling them up. They are 2 dimensional images of multi-dimensional existence. Hang one in your home or office, and set it apart as a special and colorful unique piece. But the longer it is there, the more you will recognize the multiple meanings. A Thangka will stand out in any room, and is believed to bestow blessings and protection on those who respect it. A Thangka will be a unique piece of rare art that you will treasure.

Thangkas are painted on cotton canvas with water soluble pigments, both mineral and organic, tempered with a herb and glue solution. The entire process demands great mastery over the drawing and perfect understanding of econometric principles.

The painted Thangkas are divided into four categories:

1. Thangkas which have different colors in the background
2. Thangkas which have a gold background
3. Thangkas which have a red background
4. Thangkas painted on a black background

A whole collection of Thangka are around in 50 different pieces of deities as a Basic Classic Collection. A full collections will be around 200 pieces, however, some Thangkas are very rare,

For the Novice who is seeking to begin their Thangka collection, it is recommended to start with a simple and holistic piece such as The Wheel of Life or perhaps Shakyamuni Buddha

Most importantly, the Novice should acquire the Thangka that feels right upon first sight. Later we will discuss proper use and meditation upon the Thangkas.

Creation of the Thangka

Preparation of the painting surface
Tibetan painters pay great importance to the preparation of the painting surface since Thangka paintings are to be rolled up for storage and then unrolled for display. Any sort of defect due to neglect may cause cracks or make the paint peel off. A piece of cotton cloth of slightly open weave is stitched on to a narrow wooden frame along all its four sides. This lightly framed cotton is then tightly stretched over a larger wooden frame or stretcher with a stout thread by a system of crisscross lacing. After setting up the cloth in the frame it is treated from both the front and back with a thin layer of gesso, which is made up of glue and zinc oxide. The canvas is then burnished on both sides with a stone or conch shell to produce a smooth and lustrous surface.

Drawing
Before sketching different parts of the composition, eight major lines of orientation are drawn. These include a central perpendicular, two diagonals, a horizontal and four outer borders. Now with charcoal or graphite the rough drawing of the deity in full accordance with the canonical proportions is delineated. Within a given composition, the principal personage invariably occupies the center stage, while all acolytes and attendants are greatly reduced in size to further emphasize the majesty and enormity of the central figure.

Application of Color
Color is more than a visual proposition in Sacred Buddhist Painting. The five basic colors white, yellow, red, black and green have different symbolic meanings. Black symbolizes killing and anger, white denotes rest and repose, yellow stands for restraint and nourishment, red is indicative of subjugation while green is the known hue of exorcising practices. The palette of the Thangka painters has been classified into 'seven father colors' and one 'mother color'. The seven father colors are: deep blue, green, vermilion, minimum orange, maroon, yellow and indigo. The mother color is white which interacts perfectly with all these hues. The lighter shades resulting from the mixture of 'father' and 'mother' were referred to as their sons. Written evidence from the eighteenth century identifies fourteen such 'sons'.
For any large project, the master painter first visualizes the final color scheme and indicates them on the sketch with an abbreviated notation system.
While applying the colors the painter proceeds from the distant parts to those parts stationed near him.

Shading and Color Gradations
After laying the initial coats of flat color the painter proceeds to apply thin coats of dyes diluted in water. Shading in Tibetan Thangkas is always done to add effects of volume and dimension to the form be it a human figure, an anthropomorphic image of some deity or clouds, water, flames, rocks, flowers, curtains, seats, etc. Cast shadows and highlights are unknown aspects of the pictorial imagery of the Thangka. Very often the empty green field of the foreground is shown fading gradually into the horizon and such effects are obtained with 'wet shading', a technique of gradual blending of two adjoining areas of wet paint.

Outlining
In an essentially linear pictorial expression like the Thangka, the art of outlining plays a significant role. To set off objects from the background or to demarcate subdivisions of a certain form, or to emphasize a swirling mass of flames, painters select the indigo and lac dyes for perfect results.

Finishing Details
At this final stage the facial features are finished and the eyes of the deities are painted. For this 'eye opening' an elaborate consecration ritual on an auspicious full moon day is fixed and only after the vivification ritual does the painter complete the eyes in swift sure strokes. The whites of the eyes are softened with orange and red at the corner ends, eyelid edges are darkened and then the iris is added according to the required stance of the deity. The two most commonly fashioned varieties of eyes are 'bow eyes' and grain eyes' besides a few fearsome looking ones for the wrathful deities.
In order to turn the areas of gold shiny they are burnished gently with an onyx tipped tool after placing a wooden support against the back of the canvas.
Next, the cord fastenings are cut with a knife and the painting is removed from the stretcher. The Thangka is then mounted with silks. Often the Thangka is provided with a cover of gossamer silk.

Detailed information regarding Thangka Imagery can be found by clicking here.

Usage of the Thangka

Thangkas were important articles of the tent culture of nomadic monastic groups in medieval Tibet. It was not unusual for a group of scholars, yogis and priests to travel by yak to distant regions, set up tents, unroll the Thangkas and serve the local people by teaching before moving on to another area.

Within temples and monasteries, according to religious holidays of the lunar cycle, specific Thangkas are removed from storage, unrolled, hung up in shrine halls where a ceremony would be performed according to the assigned deity.

In modern day, the Thangkas of have made their way across the world, into homes. museums and temples of varied sort. First and foremost, a Thangka is a meditation device. A magical spell per say. The user may for instance place a Thangka of Green Tara in their workspace in order to gain the blessings of wisdom and timely reaction to stressful situations. On the other hand, a student of meditation may choose to place an 1000 armed Avalokiteshvara upon their personal altar and engage in a visual meditation, carefully studying the intricacies of the deity, background and surrounding Buddhas. In this case, the Thangka itself acts as the meditation teacher, imparting the knowledge unto the Novice.

Alternatively, the advanced practitioner may do like the monks of old, keeping the Thangka in a carefully monitored airtight storage, unrolling it only for special feast days and when the blessings need to be imparted.

Om Tat Sat