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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Types of Thangka Paintings

Thanka Shop We Have Known about Thangka In privious Post Sacred Buddhist Painting "Thangka" .Thangka is a type of painting executed on cotton canvas and often framed with silk. They depict images of different gods, goddesses, and significant philosophy related to Buddhism. Regarded as the essence of reverence, these paintings are a medium through which the highest ideals of Buddhism are evoked. However, many Buddhist monasteries still use the paintings as a means of financial and spiritual support. They use natural stone color and gold for painting a thangka.

There are Two style of Thagka Paintings

TIBETAN STYLE THANKA In Tibetan terms painting means Thankas which can be scroll and rolled up, painted, embroidered and can be made of patchwork. Common form taken by Thanka is a vertical rectangular shaped. First framed by textile borders usually (red and yellow) in color and often subsequently mounted on Chinese and Nepalese brocade. Tibetan thankas have very define symphony accomplish into degree of expediency in brilliant lustrous and natural pigment. The origination of Tibetan thanka could be tracked back to 18th century. The Tibetan thankas can be subjected either to the types or icons, Mandala, Buddha and Bodhisattvas, Guardians and Yidams and Bardo Thanka. Each thanka is considered as a support for meditation, bringing significance not only to pattern and artist, but to all human beings. These arts often be spoken for more specific reasons not frequently as a visual supplication to a deity.

NEWAR THANKA
Chakrasamvar Shakti Newer people has historically made up in majority of the population of Nepal's kathmandu valley. Newari arts had a great influence on the development of Tibetan paintings. The arts flourished later in the 15th and 16th century. Tibetan reliance in newar style in painting was finally replaced by distinctly Tibetan style. The existence in constant assimilation, adoption of new ideas in a vibrant cultural resulted into two developments in Tibetan paintings in 15th century based on Indo-Newar and primarily Chinese elements. Newari art has the huge influence, evident in style over Tibetan painting.

Three Main Types of Thankas:

Buddha Life Story The Life of Buddha. It shows the steps in Buddha's life from birth to death. It depicts his life from his conception, his childhood as a young prince of Kapilvastu In Nepal, his ensuing dissatisfaction with that life which came with his understanding of man's inherent suffering, his time spent as a wandering ascetic, his ultimate achievement of enlightenment beneath a Bodhi Tree , and his attempts to educate his fellow human beings.

Wheel Of Life
Wheel of Life is a detailed representation of the basic Buddhist belief in transmigratory existence, or the theory of rebirth. The wheel is held in the embrace of Shenje, ruler of the Dead, showing that all beings must eventually meet Death. He is said to symbolize people's fearfulness of death and the hideousness of clinging to life. Outside of the wheel is a figure of Buddha, who is free from all moral and mental obstructions which can prevent all living beings from attaining enlightenment. His presence outside the wheel implies his escape from the cycle of life. The wheel is divided into three parts: axle, spokes, and rim. The axle asserts the first Noble Truth of Buddhism which holds that suffering exists; the purpose of Mahayana Buddhist teachings is to relieve all beings from suffering. The outer axle, or rim, shows the manifestation of a white heaven and a black hell. The spokes of the wheel divide the universe into six sensual realms, gods, demi gods, humans, hungry ghost, animals, and hell.

Mandala
Mandala (Literally meaning a circle) is a meditation device, often used in meditation. It can be used as a visual aid for concentration and introvertive meditation leading to the attainment of insight and to the activation of forces culminating in "Siddi.". The Mandala is the graphic representation of this process. It is an instrument for practical realization of the process within oneself. There are many types and varieties of mandalas depending on the nature of the central deity.
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Monday, August 27, 2007

Sacred Buddhist Painting "Thangka"

Thangka(Thanka) is a type of painting executed on cotton canvas and often framed with silk. They depict images of different gods, goddesses, and significant philosophy related to Buddhism which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. Regarded as the essence of reverence, these paintings are a medium through which the highest ideals of Buddhism are evoked. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. The Thangka is thus a kind of painting done on flat surface but which can be rolled up when not required for display. The most common shape of a Thangka is the upright rectangular form. One does also find horizontal oblong banners influenced probably by the format of Chinese horizontal hand scrolls.

The paintings are often used as meditation devices, "physical support" for the expression of faith. Traditionally, Thangkas were made by Buddhist monks and specific ethnic groups. The skills were passed from generation to generation. Though it is still true that these groups participate in the production of thangkas, others have also become involved due to the revenue generated by this craft. However, many Buddhist monasteries still use the paintings as a means of financial and spiritual support. They use natural stone color and gold for painting a thangka.

On the basis of techniques involved and materials used thangkas can be grouped into several categories. Generally they are divided into two broad categories: those which are painted (called bris-than in Tibetan) and those which are made of silk either by weaving or with embroidery called (gos-than).

The painted thangkas are further divided into five categories:
@Thangkas which have different colors in the background
@Thangkas which have a gold background
@Thangkas which have a red background
@Thangkas painted on a black background
@Thangkas whose outlines are printed on cotton support and then touched up with colors

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 iconometric principles. Visit this link to see our Exhibition of Live Thanka Painting at Silom Complex, Bangkok, Thailand. The execution of a Thangka painting can be divided into six steps:
Preparation of the painting surface
Preparation of the painting surfaceTibetan 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.

Thangka sketchingDrawing
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 center stage is invariably occupied by the principal personage, 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 NEWARI Thangka Artist Deepak 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.

MANDALAFinishing 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 Chinese silks.

Click to See THANKA GALLERYOften the Thangka is provided with a cover of gossamer silk. When the Thangka hangs on an altar the cover is gathered up to the top and acts as a curtain. Two narrow sticks are attached to the top and the bottom so that the Thangka can be easily rolled up for storage or for a journey. Most Tibetan artists do not sign their works. Every act of creation is considered to be divine with the artist simply serving as a mortal instrument, and so his own identity is inconsequential. Also, attaching one's name to a work is considered an egotistical act, and it is the duty of the artist, like all pious Buddhists, to destroy the ego.

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Types of Thangka Paintings

Angelic Encounters


It should be safe to take a walk. But not here. Not anymore. Not for a while…
I remember…

The greenbelt at the end of my road lies on the edge of the motorway linking the suburbs with the city. On one side of the motorway is a dairy farm with a small lake and an old Cape Dutch homestead. On the other side is a river, horse paddocks and the edge of pine plantations which go on to rise halfway up the mountain. The view from the hill looks out over rolling vineyards and towards the towering granite face of the side of Table Mountain. It’s beautiful. A picture of God’s grandeur and verdancy.
My two elderly Golden Retrievers and I liked to walk there.
We walked slowly, SJ with his arthritic bones couldn’t go very fast. B, the older dog, still thought he was three… We reached the top of the hill, paused to admire the view and sniff the scents. It was three in the afternoon. There were no other walkers. Not a good thing. It is wise to be wary when taking a stroll. It is not a time for reflection or meditation. This is South Africa…
I looked around - my eyes followed the path along the riverbank. Two men – about five hundred metres away from me. Black guys. This is not a statement of race. It is one of pragmatism. Most instances of crime are black on black and black on white. They looked up - saw me standing on the hill top. I watched them. They gazed back.
Turn around and go home now. The voice in my ear could not have been any clearer.
But the boys need a walk.
Not here. Not now.
Look, just because they’re black guys doesn’t mean they’re trouble. I don’t want to be another paranoid whitey.
You’re not being paranoid and your race is irrelevant.
I tell you what, I’ll go along a little way and if it doesn’t look good I’ll turn around.
No. Turn around now.
But…
I know you don’t want this to be race issue. But this about your safety. And you aren’t safe. Go back now. Put distance between yourself and them.
I was torn. I knew the voice was right. But I was so conscious of my paranoid whitey label. This is South Africa…
Contrary to every inner prompting I walked on.
As I descended the hill, one guy started to pee. Perhaps it was a call of nature. Perhaps it was a form of territorial behaviour. Perhaps it’s meant to cock a snook at the whitey. This is South Africa… He kept his eyes on me as he peed. Facing me. Defiant. His friend watched me too.
Shit.
Finished, he turned to his friend. The friend nodded, they shook hands and the friend started to run. Towards me. At me. Gaining pace. I should have known. This is South Africa…
“SJ,” I said, “we need to go home. I need you to run, baby, please. Try.” Fear snaked along the leads.
SJ look up at me. He understood.
We turned.
Don’t look back.
Up the hill. B bounding at my side, me dragging SJ. He couldn’t do it. I knew he couldn’t. He tried - so hard.
The guy was gaining on us. SJ was stumbling. My heart pounded. Fear throbbed in my ears.
I should have listened.
SJ tripped, fell onto the path.
The guy was close - maybe a hundred and fifty meters away.
I couldn’t leave my dog. Wouldn’t. I would take my chances.
I dropped to me knees. I stroked SJ’s head. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.”
He gazed up at me, despair in his eyes.
The guy raced towards us… and stopped – as though he’d hit a wall.
A look of puzzlement flickered across his face.
He stared at me.
“He’s old,” I murmured, “old man, sore legs.”
He tried to take a step towards us – faltered... His eyes widened. He seemed held - kept back.
He glanced around. His friend was no where to be seen. He looked at us again, confusion flooding his eyes. He muttered something - and took off – dashing towards the freeway.

I have no doubt that my boys and I were protected by an angel. I have never stopped saying thank you. There are greater things in this universe than the criminality of some South Africans…


The telling of this story was prompted by a recent report that a woman narrowly escaped rape whilst walking on the greenbelt...