Page 6 - Tibetan Thangka Painting Methodsand Mat, Jackson

to say the preservation of these books also renders an No doubt some readers will go through this book
incalculable service to the Tibetans themselves. No with the idea of one day trying their hands at thangka
one has played a greater role in making this project painting. We trust that they will be encouraged by what
possible, and in coordinating it than Mr E. Gene Smith. they read. The methods involved in painting a thangka
We are indebted to him not only for his selfless labors are not hopelessly difficult or complex; the main thing is
in that great work, but also for his help in locating the always to follow an orderly step-by-step approach, as
most important literary sources on our topic, and for Tibetan painters themselves do. With the help of this
many other acts of kindness and hospitality. book you can learn many of the basics without a
Two others who took an interest in this study teacher. Those who study alone should definitely
during its preparation were Ms Ann Shaftel and begin by copying a simple example, preferably a real
Ms KatWeen Peterson. Individually both of them read thangka. Do not make the mistake of choosing a design
and offered valuable comments on an early draft of with over twenty figures for your first attempt, as we
Chapter 2 and parts of Chapters 3 and 4. We are also did. If you can trace the composition of a thangka
grateful to Ms Shaftel for having communicated to us onto a thin sheet of paper and then onto your canvas,
some of her own findings on the materials of thangka the difficulties of making an original composition can be
painting. avoided. Tibetan block-prints are also good sources for
We would here like to acknowledge our gratitude compositions, although they lack the coloring that is
to the following individuals and institutions who helped crucial for guiding the beginner. Even if you work
us obtain illustrations and for permission to reproduce alone you can still enjoy the experience of grinding and
them (numerals refer to page numbers): Mr Brian mixing your own paints (on obtaining the raw pigments
Beresford: 5, 8, 102; Dr Lokesh Chandra: 75, 78, 79, see Appendix B: Resources). Meanwhile you should
80,81,82,112,113,114,115 (from 'Jam-dpal rdo-rje continually train your visual perception by viewing
Gso byed bdud rtsi'i 'khrul med ngos 'dzin. Sata-pifaka real thangkas whenever possible, and by examining
Series, Vo1.82); Mr Hugh Downs: 44, 69, 74,94, 104, reproductions and illustrated books. With practice,
107, 134; Han-Shan Tang Ltd: 35; Dr C. Jest: 9; anyone with some previous experience in painting
Professor Fosco Maraini: 90; Collection of the Newark should be able to achieve good results by following
Museum: 10,11, 14; Mr Hugh Richardson 4; Professor the steps outlined below.
David Snellgrove: 12; Ms Zara Fleming and the Victoria Nevertheless, working by yourself is no real
and Albert Museum: 24, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,34,36,37, substitute for studying with a living painting teacher.
76, 77, 110, 128, 132, 133. Photographs not listed For those who are fortunate enough to find a teacher,
above are by David Jackson. the present book may be useful as an introduction to
We are also happy to present in this book the general materials and techniques used in one of the
numerous line drawings by Mr Robert Beer, formerly a main painting traditions, the Menri of Central Tibet.
student of Lhasa Jhampa and Au Leshey, and now one Even if your teacher belongs to a different tradition,
of the finest Western exponents of Tibetan art. Unless most of the names of the materials and tools will be
otherwise stated the line drawings are all by him. We are similar. Our listing of Tibetan terms, both in the text
also indebted to Mr Beer for information about pigment and afterward in a separate glossary, may solve some of
sources in Europe. Finally we must express our appre- the problems of terminology for the Western student.
ciation to Mr Anthony Aris for the enthusiastic interest When learning the particular details of technique,
he has taken in this study from the time of our first however, do not rely on this book; instead, carefully
meeting and for his encouragement during the long follow your own teacher, especially in the beginning.
years it took to complete. As Bo-dong PaJ)-chen recommended five centuries
ago at the conclusion of his own brief description of
painting methods: "Learn in more detail from one who
is expert in the practice [of painting] ."2
In this book we have concentrated mainly on the
What in particular have we tried to accomplish in this technique of thangkas, and have not dealt. with murals
book} Throughout its preparation we have concentrated and other branches of painting. Even within the topic of
on recording the traditional colours and techniques. thangka painting we have limited our account for the
Many of the materials have radically changed since the most part to just one major tradition, that of Wangdrak
artists came to India and Nepal, and therefore we have and Legdrup Gyatsho: that is the Menri(sman ris), a
always tried to ascertain what they traditionally used in painting style that originated in the 15th century and
the old setting of Tibet and the Himalayas. With the that in recent centuries became the artistic koine of
same goal in mind, we also gathered together and Central Tibet. Here and there we have also pointed out a
examined the few presently known written sources that few differences between the tradition of our main
deal with the materials and techniques of Tibetan informants and the practice of others. But anyone who
painting. These texts by and large confirm the accounts studies with painters from other regions and traditions
of the living painters, and a few brief extracts from them will quickly discover many more divergences in tech-
have also been translated and presented below. nique. These should be carefully noted. Detailed studies

2 PREFACE