The Tangka is a kind of scroll painting in Tibet. Tangkas can be found hanging in monasteries and homes of Tibetan monks. These Tangkas shows the monks' faith in Buddha beliefs, and are a sacred object for worship. 

Creators of Tangkas should strictly abide by the divine principles which forbid the artist to sign their work. Only Buddhist scriptures in vermilion are allowed to appear on the back of the painting. As a result, it is very difficult to determine who the original artists were.

Tangka is a unique art form in the Tibetan culture. Its origin can be traced back to the Tufan period (7th Century to 9th Century). In Tibetan, the word Tangka originally meant seal. Later it was used to refer to the Tibetan scroll painting. Tangkas mainly focus on religious themes. Some Tangkas also illustrate various subjects such as history, literature, biography and local customs. They falls into two categories—Guotang, which is made with silk cloth by embroidering, weaving, patching or printing, and Zhitang, which is painted onto canvas with dyes. Zhitang is further divided into such categories as golden Tang, red Tang and black Tang because of the different colours used in the background.

The facture of Tangka falls into four categories, namely Huihua Tangka, Duixiu Tangka, Gaoxiu Tangka and Zhijin Tangka.

Huihua Tangka is made by painting the designs on the cloth. Before they start the work, Buddhist artists choose an auspicious day, burn incenses and pray piously. As they chant their scriptures, they prepare the materials they will need. Chalky powders are first mixed with glue. Then the mixture is evenly brushed onto the white cotton cloth. The canvas is then burnished on both sides with a stone or conch shell to produce a smooth and lustrous surface. The canvas should be level and opaque with a moderate thickness. Since Tangka paintings are to be rolled up for storage and then unrolled for display, any sort of defect may cause cracks or make the paint peel off, hence ruining the painting. Artists usually use natural pigments, which are also mixed with glue and ox bile to prevent the paintings from becoming mouldy.

Duixiu Tangka is an art similar to embroidery. First the artists draw a rough outline of Buddha on the paper. Then silk cloth in different colours and patterns are cut out to match the different parts of the figure. Finally these pieces are sewn together to form the complete design.
　
Gaoxiu Tangka techniques are in danger of being confined to history. These days in Tibet, Gaoxiu Tangka can only be found in the Taer Temple. Artists cut the figures of Buddha or outlines of landscapes out of colourful silk cloth and then fill them in with fine wool or cotton. This gives the design a bulky appearance. Finally floss is applied to make the design more vivid. The Buddha, Bodhisattva and Arhat are all set out against a dark background and look very solemn.

Zhijin Tangka is a jacquard product that uses colourful silk threads on choice silk fabric.

Source: www.eastart.net              Editor: Li Guixiang.