Page 16 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

Tibetan Painters

Who were the artists who fashioned the sacred scroll
paintings? In the past many people thought that thangka
painters were yogis who ritually evoked the deities and
then depicted them in painted form. Although such a
characterization has a slight basis in fact, it does not
adequately describe most painters. Tibetan thangka
painters by and large were ordinary artisans, the same
people who also painted wooden furniture and
decorated the walls and architectural details of wealthy
people's residences. The majority of them were pious
laymen, and they usually came from families whose
hereditary occupation was painting.
The misconception of the thangka painter as
yogi no doubt mainly derives from textual sources. A
number of texts, including both indigenous Tibetan
treatises and translations from the Sanskrit, set forth the
ritual steps and visualizations that should accompany the
painting of certain images. Yet in their everyday practice
few artists followed such methods. Though Tibetan
painters on the whole were religiously minded, none of
our teachers mentioned such practices as forming part of
their standard method. Nevertheless, Tibetan Buddhism Sherpa thangka painter at· work in Solu-Khumbu in 1954
required that its painters be tantric initiates in a formal with second paintbrush behind ear.
sense at least. According to Vajrayana Buddhism any
artist who depicted the deities belonging to the four recounted to us how he once went to Mtshur-phu with
classes of Tantras had to have been ritually initiated many other artists to paint a day-thangka for the
into each of these classes. Most Tibetan painters had in longevity of the great hierarch the Karma-pa. Each artist
fact received such initiations (dbang bskur). was assigned a monk-servant to help him, and a tailor
In the history of Tibetan art a few paintings are to sew a thangka frame of brocades. Every possible
known to have been directly inspired by yogic visions. preparation was made in advance: all the materials and
Such visions, however, were usually experienced by tools were accounted for and laid out. Then on the
those who were meditators by calling, and not by appointed day, the eighth day of the tenth lunar month,
professional artists. Still, professional artists could make the artist awoke before dawn and prepared the canvas.
a contribution during the creation of these extraordinary He had to hold the damp primed canvas over hot coals
paintings. Once, for example, the 15th-century religious to speed its drying, and when its preparation was
master Gong-dkar-ba Kun-dga'-rnam-rgyal had a vision of complete he feverishly painted the image of the goddess,
Mahakala during his meditations late at night. That same all the while performing the sadhana of the deity and
night he made a sketch of the deity as it had appeared reciting appropriate mantras. Following its completion
to him. The next day, however, he entrusted the the painting was consecrated by a group of eight monks.
coloring and completion of the painting to the famous Afterwards the artist was rewarded with a festive cele-
artist Mkhyen-brtse chen-mo. Some other great religious bration and generous offerings. It is safe to say that
masters were themselves highly accomplished painters paintings produced in this way accounted for only a
who needed no assistance. The Tenth Kanna-pa Chos- small fraction of an artist's total output.
dbyings-rdo-rje (1604-1674) and Si-tu PaJ;l-chen Chos- Traditionally, Tibetan painters were handsomely
kyi-'byung-gnas (1700-1774) were 'two such masters, recompensed for their skills. Although they were some-
and their paintings are held in special esteem. Even times conscripted by the government to do compulsory
more revered are paintings that great religious teachers work (lag khral) on restoration projects, even then they
had made with exceptional materials; some used, for were usually well paid. And for private commissions
instance, the blood of their own nosebleeds. their pay was usually even better. These commissions
On the other hand there were special occasions were not supposed to be merely cash transactions.
when even ordinary painters produced thangkas through The payment that the patron made to the artist after the
a process of ritual and meditation. The most common completion of the work was thought of as a pious
instance of this was the "day-thangka" (nyin thang), a offering, a kind of religious "ransom payment" (slu
painting that to be ritually efficacious had to be com- yon) which allowed the patron then to "invite" (gdan
pleted within one day.. Such paintings commonly 'dren zhu) the sacred image to its new home. Neverthe-
depicted the goddess White Tara, and they were com- less, before the work began the patron and artist usually
missioned yearly for the longevity (zhabs brtan) of agreed on some minimum payment, as well as on the
great religious leaders. The monk-artist Legdrup Gyatsho amount of gold to be used.

12 THE ARTISTIC WEALTH OF OLD TIBET