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A thangka can take anything from a few months to several years to finish. Creating, for example, numerous minute images of boddhisatva on a one-square meter thangka canvas requires perfect understanding of iconometric principles, not to mention painstaking brushwork. It is a discipline that takes at least a decade to master. Thangka painting is executed in four main stages. The canvas surface is first coated on both sides with a thin layer of plaster of Paris. This ensures smooth application of colors and inhibits peeling. The subject matter is then sketched on the canvas in charcoal. The third step is application of color from pigments of turquoise or carol according to the color gradations. Finally, the main features of the thangka, such as images of Buddha and boddhisatva, demarcated subdivisions of a certain form, or swirling masses of flames, are outlined in gold foil for greater effect.
Most tangkas are painted on cloth, silk or paper, but there are also tangkas of embroidery, brocade and applique. Embroidery tangka is done with silk thread of different colors, depicting landscapes, figures, flowers, feathers, pavilions and towers. Brocade tangkas are woven on jacquard looms, with warp-and-weft patterns. Applique tangkas are made by pasting figures and patterns of colored silk on a background material; and kesi tangkas are like relief sculpture, with a three-dimensional effect, something like a special handicraft combining the art of painting with silk weaving. These fabric tangkas have compact compositions, fine patterns and bright colors. They are of close texture and very decorative. Some tangkas are inlaid with pearls and precious stones. At first, most fabrics used for making tangkas were made in the interior. Later, Tibet developed embroidery and applique tangkas. There are also tangkas made from woodblock prints, the working procedures including painting the original design, engraving the block, printing, color application and mounting. |
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