Thangka Paintings

The art of Tibetan Thangka painting is a sacred and ancient art. Thangkas serve as a record and a guide for contemplative experience. In this way, they convey iconographic information in a pictorial manner. A text of the same meditation would supply similar details, but in written descriptive form.

However beautiful or impressive, the painting never tells the full story of the complex process artists undergo to create such an image. A thangka is a complicated, composite three-dimensional object consisting of a picture panel that is painted or embroidered; a textile mounting; and often a silk cover or leather corners, and wooden dowels at the top and bottom. They are designed to communicate ideas in a beautiful, yet practical form.

Although certain elements of thangka painting have changed since artists began painting in exile, much of Tibet's traditional styles and techniques have been painstakingly retained. For more information about traditional thangka painting, please visit here