By: Heinz Hoes
Thangka painting is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form, which has been practised in Tibet for much more than one thousand years. Thangka simply is the Tibetan word for painting. In the paintings of this Tibetan Buddhist art form the many and various deities and venerable teachers such as the historical Lord Buddha Shakyamuni are shown. These images inspire through their beauty, but also, a painted deity is a visual support for those practising meditation.
The origins of Thangka painting go back to Lord Buddha Shakyamuni and stretch even further beyond into the past. Lord Buddha lived about 2600 years ago in India, where He taught the Holy Dharma to a large following and also instructed and inspired many artists. The form of the Buddha is generally represented through paintings and sculptures, and we are focussed on paintings here.
The painted image had its origin in the country of Magadha, which in modern times is called Bihar of central India. The king of Magadha commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of Lord Buddha. But the artist was so overwhelmed by the magnificence and splendour of the Buddha that he was not able to draw when looking at Him directly. The Buddha came to the support of the artist and said “Let us go together to the bank of a clear and calm pool”. There Lord Buddha sat Himself at the bank of the pool, while the artist sketched His drawing based upon the reflection on the water’s surface.
As Lord Buddha’s Teachings flourished in India beyond His lifetime, His Teachings spread to neighbouring countries like Tibet, too. To establish Buddhism in Tibet, the innovative Tibetan king Songsten Gampo married the Chinese princess Kongjo in early seventh century. She brought scriptures of Lord Buddha’s Teachings, Buddhist sculptures and paintings, and also introduced a Chinese style of painting with the artists, who came with her from China. The princess, who was highly respected, herself was the one initially to introduce Buddhist artistic traditions in Tibet. She encouraged spreading the traditions of painting and sculpture widely throughout central and eastern Tibet. This early stage of Tibetan Thangka painting has been referred to as the old Gadri style, the origin of the graphic arts in Tibet.
Another style of Tibetan Thangka painting, Menri, was introduced in Tibet from Nepal in the 9th century. This school experienced a change in style, pigment and texture in the 17th century and first became known as Mensar or the new Menri. And these are the two main traditions with their varying schools, found in Tibetan Thangka painting. Gadri has been established in the Eastern part of Tibet, whereas Menri is in Central and Western part of the country.
In the year 1500, the Gadri style experienced a renaissance due to the influence of the artist Namka Tashi, who was linked to the Great Saint Mikyo Dorje, the 8th Karmapa. Further significant contributions came through the artists Cho Tashi and then Kasho Karma Tashi. These three artists established what has been known as the Karma Gadri style of Tibetan Thangka painting, which is still true today.
This article has been written by Heinz Hoes, based at Findhorn, near Forres, in Morayshire, Scotland UK. I studied with and assisted Tibetan Master Artist Sherab Palden Beru for 20 years at the Tibetan Buddhist centre and monastery Kagyu Samye Ling in Eskdalemuir, Scotland. Thanks for your interest in this article and as a follow-up you may like to visit my website, which shows examples of my art work of Tibetan Thangka paintings: http://www.tibetan-thangkas.co.uk