Source: CCTV.com
03-06-2009 08:47
Tangka painting has a long history in Tibet. It first appeared in Tibet about 13 hundred years ago. Today, young people in their 20's and 30's carry on the ancient art. Xialu Wangdui is one of those who is dedicated to keep the legacy alive.
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| Tangka painting has a long history in Tibet. It first appeared in Tibet about 13 hundred years ago. |
In a corner of the famous Bakor Street in Lhasa, there is a Tangka shop. The owner Xialu Wangdui is working on his Tangka piece of the Goddess of Mercy with a thousand hands. The painter started to learn the skill in a monastery when he was 12. The picture with his teacher recalls his memories of learning.
Tangka painter Xialu Wangdui said, "The first step is to learn how to paint the head portrait of Sakyamuni. My teacher has many students. Not as long as other apprentices spent, I completed the first step just in one month. My teacher praised my painting. He thinks highly of me."
Time flies. After ten years of learning with his teacher, Wangdui graduated. Now he has his own store of Tangka.
Wangdui insists on the traditional way to paint Tangka. First, the cotton canvas should be fixed on a rectangle wood frame. Then, the basic color brushed on the canvas has to be burnished by a stone.
