In Tibet, innovative thangka designs emerge

By:chinadaily.com.cn
update:September 11,2023

New thangka paintings work done by thangka artists in Shigatse, Tibet autonomous region, reflects the history, folk culture and the social development of the city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Thangka artists in Shigatse, Tibet autonomous region, are painting their way to prosperity by incorporating fresh design elements into the traditional thangka art in recent years. Their works are deeply loved by residents and tourists.

In September, the weather in Shigatse remained hot, but that did not stop a group of top editors from various provincial-level Party newspapers nationwide from making a trip to the city for interviews related to an intangible cultural heritage exhibition.

In the center of the city, the visitors were astonished by the theme of the paintings. They were not religious themes but rather views of a relocation site in the city's Dromo county, where residents dance and sing in homestays, supported by "aid-Tibet" cadres from Shanghai.

According to Migyur, a thangka artist, eight artists have been working on a new thangka paintings since May. They are expected to conclude the work by September, when the works will be collected by the Shanghai Museum.

Migyur is an apprentice of Shilog, an intangible cultural inheritor of the influential Mansar thangka painting style. He began to learn thangka painting at age 17, working with Shilog. Together, in 2019, they began to make innovations, including a super long thangka painting.

With a length of 848 meters and width of 2.5 meters, the painting reflects the history, folk culture and construction achievements of Shigatse. Four painting teams with a total of 80 artists, along with thangka apprentices have been working on it, completing 298 meters so far.

"Our teachers often stress innovation and market prospects in traditional thangka painting culture," the 33-year-old Migyur was quoted as saying by Tibet Daily. "We were opposed by others at first as they thought we were not following traditional rules, but as time goes on, our works have been acknowledged by both locals and tourists. I think this is how to make traditional culture come alive in new era."

In 2019, Shigatse launched a painting project of 100 new themed thangka painting. The first group of 50 paintings were completed by 37 local artists in two years.

The themes of the paintings include the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of the Tibet autonomous region, the region's development history and a nod to some of its scenic spots. It will comprehensively showcase the long history, splendid culture and beautiful scenery of Shigatse, to showcase the profound historical and cultural achievements of the city and reflect the city's achievements, which were made during social construction.

Phurbu Tsering, an offical from the city's cultural bureau, said that to protect and inherit thangka culture and have a prosperous thangka industry, the bureau carried out training for the development of the thangka industry and the inheritance of thangka art in the city, with 185 inheritors of the cultural industry and thangka industry participating.

According to the bureau, the city now has 556 thangka artists, with the annual output value of thangka, reaching nearly 20 million yuan ($2.72million). The city has two projects, all of the included in the representative list at the national and regional levels of thangka intangible cultural heritage. It has five representative inheritors of thangka.