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Tibetan Thangka Painting: Methods and Materials
| Title | Tibetan Thangka Painting: Methods and Materials |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2025-01-22 06:43:47 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Tibetan Thangka Painting is the only detailed description of the techniques and principles of the sacred art of Tibetan scroll painting. It is the distillation of research carried out over a period of ten years, collected during five journeys to Nepal and India, and compiled from some twenty traditional painters. This book presents, step-by-step, the techniques used to make a thangka from the preparation of the canvas to the final application of the sacred syllables behind each completed figure. Separate chapters introduce the reader to the basic principles of composition, color, and figure proportions. Included are descriptions of the pigments and how they are mixed and applied. A wealth of drawings and photographs illustrates each step and the many line drawings of symbols and motifs drawn by Robert Beer will greatly aid artists and serve as unique resource for designers. Robert Beer has also contributed a section which includes valuable guidelines for those who wish to paint thangkas using modern techniques and commercially available materials. Read more
Review
This book is not meant for beginners who want to learn how to paint thangkas, since it is impossible to do that from a book. It is a very useful guide for those already learning thangka painting and those interested in the techiques of thangka painting (artists, art students, art scholars).It takes a minimum of 6 years, full-time, 8 hours-a-day of training to become a beginning thangka painter. There are very few places to learn from true Master's. One is the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamasla, India, but that tends to be only for Tibetan's. The other is at Thangde Gatsal Tibetan Tangkha Painting School and Studio ([...]), also in Dharamsala, India. They have a one-month course for those who want to give it a try before committing to the 6-year program (also good for art students). While spiritual practice is an essential part of thangka painting, long-term student of the Dharma or Tibetan Buddhism should not think that there is any substitute for the 6-year basic training. After 20-30 years of constant painting would someone even begin to be considered a "good" thangka painter let alone a Master.-- Lopon Claude d'Estree
