What is the function and significance of Thangka?

Thangka has the function of promoting Buddhism, which means that Tibetans are convinced that the Thangka paintings enshrined will bring peace, auspiciousness and good luck to themselves and their families, and also serve as a symbol of conversion to Buddhism and a sacred object of worship.

Tangka is Tibetan, and the meaning of Tang is related to space, indicating vastness. Just like drawing hundreds or even thousands of buddhas on a piece of cloth, you can also draw only one Buddha. Cards are like magic, which means that the blanks are filled. Thangka is actually a scroll painting in Tibet.

Value at purchase price

Some thangkas are based on historical facts and focus on major political events and activities in history. Such as the historical theme of Songzan Gambu's life. Among them, works praising the friendship between Tibetan and Han nationalities, such as the story of Princess Wencheng entering Tibet, will be painted in a prominent position in the temple. The picture depicts the historical events of the marriage between Tang and Fan in Zhenguan 15 through three links: asking Tang to propose marriage, getting married after five difficulties and the princess entering Tibet. The festive scenes in Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace reproduce the welcoming scenes of Tibetan people dressed in festive costumes singing and dancing when Princess Wencheng arrived in Lodi. In the Xipingcuo Hall of the Potala Palace, there is a picture of the fifth meeting with Shunzhi, describing the fifth activities and welcoming occasions in Beijing from 65438 to 0652.

Religious value

The origin and development of Thangka is closely related to Tibetan Buddhism. The rise and development of this painting art coincided with the introduction of Indian Buddhism into Tibet. At that time, nomadic life was still the main mode of production in Tibetan areas, and fixed temples alone could not meet the religious life needs of many believers who migrated indefinitely. Therefore, Thangka, an art mainly in the form of scroll painting, meets the religious life needs of believers and becomes a cult that they can carry with them. Thangka, a painting art, came into being and flourished. Some people call Thangka a "flowing mural" because of its portability. Finally, the situation that "Tibetan temples are the halls of Buddhist painting art" was formed. Thangka's prosperity depends on the prosperity of Tibetan Buddhism.

economic value

Although Thangka has a long history, it is not long before Thangka really entered the collection market. In the early 1980s, when China's art collection market was just emerging, the price of Thangka was generally two or three hundred yuan. However, since the Tibetan Buddhist artworks entered the collection market in the 1990s, the Thangka collection market began to heat up, and the prices of many Thangkas exceeded 1,000 yuan. Since Tangka was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006, its collection has shown a very obvious warming trend, and its price has basically doubled every year. Although the price of Thangka in China is getting higher and higher, compared with foreign countries, it is not only low overall, but also a minority collection.

Thangka is a unique art form in Tibetan culture, which mainly refers to religious scroll paintings mounted with colored satin for worship. It has a history of more than 1300 years, has a very strong religious color and unique artistic style, and is a treasure of Chinese national painting art. It embodies the profundity and abstraction of Buddhist teachings, making them easy to understand and spread.

Main classification

1. According to content: Buddha Thangka, Chuan Thangka, Shi Thangka, Myth Thangka, Jiao Thangka, Astronomy Thangka, Li Thangka, Tibetan Medicine Thangka, etc.

2. According to the size: huge thangka, ordinary thangka and small thangka.

3. According to the materials:

(1) Embroidered Thangka. Embroidered with various colors of silk thread, this Thangka is tough and durable, and it is not easy to be destroyed.

② Thangka. With the method of "drawing warp and breaking weft", different colors of weft and warp are interwoven where patterns need to be woven, and the carved stone and wood have a three-dimensional effect.

(3) Brocade Thangka. The texture is mostly satin, and the weft is composed of various silk threads, which are woven into the required patterns, images and scenery in staggered jacquard weaving.

④ Pile embroidery, also known as decal Thangka. First, cut various colors of satin into figures (figures, birds and animals, trees, pavilions, flowers and plants, etc.). ) and paste it on the Thangka base material.

(5) draw thangka. Most of them are painted on paper, cloth, cowhide and sheepskin. , and then made into thangka. Its basic painting form is the same as mural painting. In the later period, Thangka paintings developed, and some of them were carved into printed boards for printing, which could become "printed Thangka".

(6) Pearl Thangka. Pearl Thangka is a special variety in Thangka paintings, and the number is very small. Thangka, the Tara Pearl of Changzhu Temple in Shannan, Tibet, consists of tens of thousands of pearl treasures and artistic stones. Its shape is elegant and generous, and it is expensive.

Hand-painted thangkas are divided into: colorful Tang (white background, painted in various colors), golden Tang (gold background), silver Tang (silver background), red Tang (red background) and black Tang (black background).

Matters needing attention and key points in appreciating Thangka

A thangka can generally be divided into three parts: the central god position, the upper bound and the lower bound. This deity is the object of support for believers and is generally selected and appointed by the guru. The empty world is generally where the Buddha and Bodhisattva are located, so it is also called the sacred world. Generally speaking, the realm is the place where the empty line, the dharma protector or the monk are located, so it is also called the mortal realm. However, there are no strict rules for saints and mortals.

In addition, there are other special structures, such as five altars gathering and square format. Secondly, it is said that Thangka is the embodiment of abstract Buddhist principles, and expressing the theme through image symbols, each of which has its special significance. Understanding the symbolic meaning of these image symbols is very important for understanding and appreciating Thangka.