Overview
The main highpoint of this tour is your exposure to the classical art of thangka painting. As the tour allows for you to craft your thangka under a professional painter in this metier, it will be a great learning experience and a deeper understanding about the cultural importance of this art form of Nepalese and Tibetan paintings. The inspirations for the thangkas are the Tibetan religious manuscripts, as also the artist’s knowledge of the scriptures, are integral to their painting, particularly as the art form is steeped in symbolic importance and veneration. Rich in colours and fine detailing, thangkas require great attention to the choice of motifs that are so rich in symbolism; also important is the correct mounting of each work of art. This takes the form of a painted picture panel surrounded by a textile mantle supported by scroll sticks and overlain with a silk cover.
The mantle is typically constructed from a rich material, usually, silk brocade, and the painting is generally executed in oils on treated cotton duck, although some notable exceptions occur, including pictures created from pigments ground from semi-precious stones, appliqué and silk or cotton embroidery.
Why you will love it
- Hosted by a professional and experienced Thangka painter.
- Learning to paint the significant motifs associated with Buddhism in Thangka designs and patterns.
- Take home your own hand-painted Thangka Art as a souvenir.
- Mingling with other full-time students in the host’s studio.
What you will experience
This tour is great for releasing your spiritual inspirations, which you will enjoy rendering in the form of a thangka, which you will learn to paint under the tutelage of a master artist. The most recurring Buddhist motifs in a thangka are the Wheel of Life, images of the Buddha, other Buddhist deities and mandalas. You will discover that thangka paintings are usually very intricate and detailed, with images inter-woven in a stylised geometric series of overlapping grids; all this can take many weeks or even months to complete. This class will focus on learning to paint the Buddha, Lotus flowers or religious animals only. You will be able to take your thangka art as a souvenir of your experience here. Another interesting aspect of this experience is that you will also get to interact with other full-time students in the host’s studio.