AMITY SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS

AMITY UNIVERSITY, NOIDA

HISTORY OF ART ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY –
NAME – PREKSHA BHARDWAJ
ENROLLMENT NO. – A2505719038
PROGRAM – BFA (PAINTING)
SEMESTER -VI
BATCH – 2019-2023
 INTRODUCTION

A thangka, variously spelt as thangka, tangka, thanka,

or tanka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting
on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity,
scene, or mandala. Thangkas are traditionally kept unframed
and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile
backing
somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a
further silk cover on the front. So treated, thangkas can last a
long time, but because of their delicate nature, they have to
be kept in dry places where moisture will not affect the
quality of the silk. Most thangkas are relatively small,
comparable in size to a Western half-length portrait, but
some are extremely large, several metres in each dimension;
these were designed to be displayed, typically for very brief
periods on a monastery wall, as part of religious festivals.
Most thangkas were intended for personal meditation or
instruction of monastic students. They often have elaborate
compositions including many very small figures. A central
deity is often surrounded by other identified figures in a
symmetrical composition. Narrative scenes are less common,
but do appear.
Thangka serve as important teaching tools depicting the life
of the Buddha, various influential lamas and other deities
and bodhisattvas. One subject is The Wheel of
Life (Bhavachakra), which is a visual representation of
the Abhidharma teachings (Art of Enlightenment). The term
may sometimes be used of works in other media than
painting, including reliefs in metal and woodblock prints.
Today printed reproductions at poster size of painted thangka
are commonly used for devotional as well as decorative
purposes. Many tangkas were produced in sets, though they
have often subsequently become separated.
Thangka perform several different functions. Images of
deities can be used as teaching tools when depicting the life
(or lives) of the Buddha, describing historical events
concerning important Lamas, or retelling myths associated
with other deities. Devotional images act as the centerpiece
during a ritual or ceremony and are often used as mediums
through which one can offer prayers or make requests.
Overall, and perhaps most importantly, religious art is used as
a meditation tool to help bring one further down the path to
enlightenment. The Buddhist Vajrayana practitioner uses a
thanka image of their yidam, or meditation deity, as a guide,
by visualizing "themselves as being that deity, thereby
internalizing the Buddha qualities" tangkas hang on or beside
altars, and may be hung in the bedrooms or offices of monks
and other devotees.
 HISTORY OF
THANGKA PAINTINGS

Tibetan Buddhist painting developed from widespread

traditions of early Buddhist paintings which now only survive
in a few sites such as the Ajanta Caves in India and
the Mogao Caves on the Silk Road, which has very extensive
wall-paintings and was the repository for what are now the
earliest surviving Tibetan paintings on cloth. The thanka form
developed alongside the tradition of Tibetan Buddhist wall
paintings, which are or were mostly in monasteries.
The early history of the form is more easily traced through
these murals, which survive in greater numbers than the
portable paintings which certainly once existed. Most thanka
were commissioned by individuals, who were believed to
acquire merit by doing so. They might then be given to a
monastery or another individual, or retained for use by the
commissioner. Some thangka have inscriptions on their back
recording that they were the personal meditation image of a
notable monk. Most artists were probably monks, although
lay artists seem to have existed, as they did for metalwork
sculpture. The commissioner would provide the materials,
which were often valuable, and by tradition the
compensation to the artist was regarded as a "gift" rather
than a fee. The word "thangka" means "thing that one
unrolls" in Classical Tibetan. Thangka are very rarely signed,
but some artists are known, more because they were
important monastic leaders than famous as artists. Painting
was a valued accomplishment in a monk.
The earliest survivals of Tibetan paintings on cloth are in
some pieces from the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang on the Silk
Road, in Gansu province, China. The "Library Cave" there was
a repository of old or worn out manuscripts, paintings, prints,
textiles and other items which was sealed off in the 11th
century, after several centuries of deposits. Many of the
paintings have Tibetan inscriptions or are in a style that can
be recognized as Tibetan, as opposed to the dominant Han
Chinese style and some pieces reflecting Indian styles. Though
they are hard to date, it is thought that these pieces mainly
come from a period c. 781–848 during Tang Dynasty rule.
Surviving tangkas on cloth certainly from Tibet itself start in
the 11th century, after the revival of Buddhism; there are
some 20 surviving from this and the 12th century. Such early
examples typically have compositions that are already
complex, but less so than in later examples. As later the
typical compositions shows a central figure flanked by smaller
other figures, often in framed compartments, or surrounded
by flaming halos or seated on small clouds. Behind these
figures a landscape background including much sky is often
indicated, though little of it may be visible. The central figure
may be a deity, and arhat, or an important monk, and the
same groups make up the background figures. Several of the
figures may be different "aspects" or reincarnations of each
other according to Buddhist theology. In the example at left
the flanking bodhisattvas are in a style, one of several found
in such figures in this period, that appears derived from
central Indian art.
Over the following centuries Tibetan painting, both on walls
and thangka, continued to develop in its distinctive style,
balancing between the two major influences of Indo-Nepalese
and Han Chinese painting, despite Buddhism being on the
general decline in these regions. Styles could vary
considerably between the different regions of Tibet as well as
the wider region where tangkas were painted. Within Tibet
the regions nearer Nepal and the rest of China were often
more influenced by regional styles. Bhutanese tangkas were
mainly influenced by Central Tibet. The different monastic
orders also developed somewhat different stylistic characters.
Tibetan painting incorporated many elements from Han
Chinese painting, especially from the 14th century onwards,
reaching a peak in the 18th century. One aspect of this was
allowing more space and emphasis to the landscape
background. In general the style of figures in thangka remains
derived from the Indo-Nepalese tradition. According
to Giuseppe Tucci, by the time of the Qing dynasty, "a new
Tibetan art was then developed, which in a certain sense was
a provincial echo of the Chinese 18th century's smooth ornate
preciosity." Since the Yuan dynasty, Tibet was administered as
a part of China, but when the Qing dynasty came to power
court interest in Tibetan Buddhism increased, and many
refined and elegant works were produced by Imperial artists
and sent to Tibet, influencing local styles. As well
as the court style, there was influence from the regions of
China near Tibet.
Tangkas were painted in all the areas where Tibetan
Buddhism flourished, which apart from those mentioned
already included Mongolia, Ladakh, Sikkim, and parts
of Himalayan India in Arunachal Pradesh, Dharamshala,
and Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh. It is also
practiced in parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva)
and Northeast China.
Other traditions of Buddhist scroll paintings are not usually
covered by the term thangka, although they may have many
similarities, and descend from the same origins. An example
is Japanese painting, where a number of very early examples
survive from the Nara (710-794) and Heian periods (794 to
1185). Most of these are National Treasures of
Japan. Raigō-zu developed as one popular genre, showing
the Amida Buddha accompanied by bodhisattvas welcoming
the souls of the faithful to his Western Paradise. These were,
and still are, carried into the house of a person who was near
death.
 TYPES OF THANGKA
PAINTINGS

Based on technique and material, tangkas can be grouped by

types. Generally, they are divided into two broad categories:
those that are painted and those made of silk, either by
appliqué or embroidery.
Tangkas are further divided into these more specific
categories:

● Painted in colours
Thangkas with bright, colourless ground [tib.: bris
thang], which was covered with colour. The majority of
Tibetan Thangkas belongs to this kind of paintings.
 ● Appliqué 
The use of textile for painting can be seen throughout the
history, Thangka is one such example of religious scroll art.
The literal meaning of word Thangka is “something rolled up”,
this form of art is mostly painted or embroidered on fabric
and generally cotton or silk is used to represent the Thangka
art
● Black Background
Black ground, on which the picture was painted in white,
coloured or golden outlines. When the deities are shown
against an all-black ground, they are like visions emerging
from impenetrable darkness. Portrayals of the tutelary
deities ere evoked in special rites performed only by
initiated monks. Black is the colour of the transformation of
all elements, and black grounds are reserved mostly for the
angry tutelary deities whose secret rites called for on the
part of the votary special training. The deity himself is
usually depicted in thin gold lines or alternatively in white,
to make him stand out against the black ground.
 ● Blockprints
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An
artist carves an image into the surface of a block of
wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level
with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas
that the artist cuts away carry no ink, while characters or
images at surface level carry the ink to produce the print. The
block is cut along the wood grain. The surface is covered with
ink by rolling over the surface with an ink-covered roller,
leaving ink upon the flat surface but not in the non-printing
areas.

● Gold background
Pure gold ground, to which only thin outlines in red or black
or high gloss gold were applied. Among the particular gems
of Tibetan art are the scroll paintings done on a gold ground
since not only the material itself intrinsically precious but they
also call for a great deal for skill and sureness of hand.
 ● Red Background
Red ground, on which they painted golden outlines and areas
filled in in gold. In general, paintings with red and gold
backgrounds depict peaceful deities. The colour of the red
background is vermilion, obtained by chrushing cinnabar in a
mortar and adding a weak solution of animal glue.

Whereas typical tangkas are fairly small, with painted area

between about 20 to 50 centimetres high, there are also giant
festival tangkas, usually appliqué, and designed to be
unrolled against a wall in a monastery for particular religious
occasions. These are likely to be wider than they are tall, and
may be sixty or more feet across and perhaps twenty or more
high. In Bhutan at least these are called thongdrels. There are
also larger than average thangkas that were designed for
altars or display in temples.
Somewhat related are Tibetan tsakli, cards which look like
miniature tangkas perhaps up to 15 centimetres high, and
often square, usually containing a single figure. These were
mostly produced in sets and were usually used in earlier
stages of training monks, or as initiation cards or offerings, or
to use when constructing temporary mandalas. Another
related form is the painted wooden top cover for a
manuscript book, giving a long narrow strip, typically some
6 cm by 55 cm, often painted with a row of seated figures in
compartments. The techniques for both these forms are
essentially the same as for thangka, and presumably the
same artists worked on them. Because tangkas can be quite
expensive, people nowadays use posters of tangkas as an
alternative to the real tangkas for religious purposes.
Sources on Asian art often describe all-textile tangkas as
"tapestry", but tangkas that meet the normal definition of
tapestry with the image created only by weaving a single
piece of fabric with different colours of thread are extremely
rare, though a few tapestry examples in the
Chinese kesi technique are known, mostly from the medieval
period. There is a large example in the Hermitage Museum,
although in this and other pieces the different colours are
woven separately and then sewn together in a type
of patchwork. Most thangka described as tapestry are some
combination of embroidery, appliqué and other techniques.
 MAKING PROCESS

Tangkas are painted on cotton or silk. The most common is a

loosely woven cotton produced in widths from 40 to 58 cm
(16 - 23 inches). While some variations do exist, tangkas
wider than 45 cm (17 or 18 inches) frequently have seams in
the support. The paint consists of pigments in a
water-soluble medium of animal glue. Both mineral and
organic pigments are used. In Western terminology, this is
a distemper technique; although it is often described as a
form of gouache, this is incorrect, and the paint was applied
as a warm liquid, mixed shortly before application. In Nepal,
24 carat gold is also plated over some parts of Thangkas
painting which makes the art a little more expensive.
Most old thangka have inscriptions on the back, usually
the mantra of the deity depicted, but sometimes also
information as to later owners, though rarely information
about the original commissioner or artist. Sometimes x-rays
allow pious inscriptions placed under the paint on the front of
the image to be seen. Inscriptions may be made in the shape
of a stupa, or sometimes other shapes.
The composition of a thangka, as with the majority
of Buddhist art, is highly geometric. Arms, legs, eyes, nostrils,
ears, and various ritual implements are all laid out on a
systematic grid of angles and intersecting lines. A skilled
thangka artist will generally select from a variety of
predesigned items to include in the composition, ranging
from alms bowls and animals, to the shape, size, and angle of
a figure's eyes, nose, and lips. The process seems very
methodical, but often requires deep understanding of the
symbolism involved to capture the spirit of it.
Thangka often overflow with symbolism and allusion. Because
the art is explicitly religious, all symbols and allusions must be
in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist
scripture. The artist must be properly trained and have
sufficient religious understanding, knowledge, and
background to create an accurate and appropriate thangka:
"Tibetan art exemplifies the nirmanakaya, the physical body
of Buddha, and also the qualities of the Buddha, perhaps in
the form of a deity. Art objects, therefore, must follow rules
specified in the Buddhist scriptures regarding proportions,
shape, colour, stance, hand positions, and attributes in order
to personify correctly the Buddha or Deities."
 THANGKA IN NEPAL

The earliest surviving thangka paintings from Nepal date to

about the 14th century AD, but this is probably well after
Buddhists and Hindus began to make illustrations of the
deities and natural scenes. Historically, Tibetan and Chinese
influence in Nepalese paintings is quite evident
in Paubhas (Tangkas), and Nepalese styles have been a
significant influence on Tibetan art. Paubhas are of two types,
the Palas which are illustrative paintings of the deities and
the Mandala, which are mystic diagrams paintings of complex
test prescribed patterns of circles and square each having
specific significance. It was through Nepal that Mahayana
Buddhism was introduced into Tibet during reign of
Angshuvarma in the seventh century AD. There was therefore
a great demand for religious icons and Buddhist manuscripts
for newly built monasteries throughout Tibet. A number of
Buddhist manuscripts, including Prajnaparamita, were copied
in Kathmandu Valley for these monasteries. Astasahas rika
Prajnaparamita for example, was copied in Patan in the year
999 AD., during the reign of Narendra Dev and Udaya Deva,
for the Sa-Shakya monastery in Tibet. For the Nor monastery
in Tibet, two copies were made in Nepal, one of Astasahasrika
Prajnaparamita in 1069 AD and the other of Kavyadarsha in
1111 AD. The influence of Nepalese art extended to China in
regular order in the thirteenth century. Nepalese artisans
were dispatched to the courts of Chinese emperors at their
request to perform their workmanship and impart expert
knowledge, with the Nepalese innovator and architect
Balbahu, known by his popular name Araniko becoming the
chief Imperial artist of Kubilai Khan.
After the introduction of paper, palm leaf became less
popular, however, it continued to be used until the eighteenth
century. Paper manuscripts imitated the oblong shape but
were wider than the palm leaves. From the fifteenth century
onwards, brighter colours gradually began to appear in
Nepalese thangka. Because of the growing importance of
the tantric cult, various aspects of Shiva and Shakti were
painted in conventional
poses. Mahakala, Manjushri, Lokeshwara and other deities
were equally popular and so were also frequently represented
in thangka paintings of later dates. As Tantrism embodies the
ideas of esoteric power, magic forces, and a great variety of
symbols, strong emphasis is laid on the female element and
sexuality in the paintings of that period.
Religious paintings worshipped as icons are known as Paubha
in Newari and thangka in Tibetan. The origin of Paubha or
thangka paintings may be attributed to the Nepalese artists
responsible for creating a number of special metal works and
wall- paintings as well as illuminated manuscripts in Tibet.
Realizing the great demand for religious icons in Tibet, these
artists, along with monks and traders, took with them from
Nepal not only metal sculptures but also a number of
Buddhist manuscripts. One of the earliest specimens of
Nepalese Thangka painting dates from the thirteenth
/fourteenth century and shows Amitabha surrounded by
bodhisattva. Another Nepalese thangka with three dates in
the inscription (the last one corresponding to 1369 A.D.), is
one of the earliest known thangka with inscriptions. The
"Mandala of Vishnu " dated 1420 A.D., is another fine
example of the painting of this period. Early Nepalese Tangkas
are simple in design and composition. The main deity, a large
figure, occupies the central position while surrounded by
smaller figures of lesser divinities.
During the reign of Tibetan Dharma King Trisong Duetsen the
Tibetan masters refined their already well-developed arts
through research and studies of different country's tradition.
Thanka painting's lining and measurement, costumes,
implementations and ornaments are mostly based on Indian
styles. The drawing of figures is based on Nepalese style and
the background sceneries are based on Chinese style. Thus,
the thangka paintings became a unique and distinctive art.
Although the practice of thanka painting was originally done
as a way of gaining merit it has nowadays evolved into a
commercial business and the noble intentions it once carried
has been diluted. Tibetans do not sell Tangkas on a large scale
as the selling of religious artifacts such as tangkas and idols is
frowned upon in the Tibetan community and thus non Tibetan
groups have been able to monopolize on its (thangka's)
popularity among Buddhist and art enthusiasts from the
west.
Thangka have developed in the northern Himalayan regions
among the Lamas. Besides
Lamas, Gurung and Tamang communities are also producing
Tankas, which provide substantial employment opportunities
for many people in the hills. Newari Thankas or paubha have
been produced in Kathmandu valley from the 13th century.