Craft
The craft of thangka painting
A thangka brings together a prepared surface, a measured composition, layers of colour and fine detail. This page introduces aspects of traditional painting practice. Materials and methods vary; the record for each work is the place to look for its documented details.
One · the cloth
Preparing the painting surface.
Traditional thangka painting begins with a prepared textile surface. Stretching and preparing the ground help create a surface that can receive colour and fine lines.
The support and its preparation are part of a work's material history. A general account of the process does not establish the exact cloth, ground or binder used in an individual painting.
Two · the measure
A composition built around proportion.
Measured lines and a central axis guide the placement of figures and the balance of a composition. The illustration here shows the idea of a proportional framework.
Within these conventions, painters work through line, colour and detail. The figure, tradition and composition of a particular work should be read through its individual catalogue record.
Three · the colour
Colour, built in layers.
Areas of colour, shading and fine lines give a painting its depth and rhythm. Pigments and other materials can differ between works and workshops.
The palette below introduces examples associated with traditional painting. It is background information, not a materials list for every work in the catalogue.
- AzuriteA blue mineral pigment; shown here as a traditional palette example.
- MalachiteA green mineral pigment; shown here as a traditional palette example.
- CinnabarA red mineral pigment; shown here as a traditional palette example.
- OrpimentA yellow mineral pigment; shown here as a traditional palette example.
- GoldA material used for decorative detail in some works; its presence and fineness require an individual record.
Four · the gold
Fine lines and finishing details.
Small details invite a closer look: the edge of a robe, an ornament, the pattern around a halo. In works that use gold, metallic detail can also change in appearance as the light moves.
Gold content, signatures, authorship and time of production are individual facts. They should be stated only where they have been documented for the work concerned.
Look to the individual catalogue page for recorded materials, authorship and presentation.