Thangka： The Oral History of Chinese Arts and Crafts Master Gengdeng Daji （Chinese edition）

Zhuomo Tso

Academy Press

December 2021

880.00 （CNY）

Gengdeng Daji came from a family of thangka artists， and his father Xiawu Cailang had a unique and self-contained painting style. The father’s high standards and requirements for him made the legend of two Chinese art and craft masters from two generations of one family. This book adopts the method of oral history research， and through the narration of Gengdeng Daji， readers can understand the origin and evolution of Regong art， his own study and experience of art， his unique thangka techniques and creative concepts， etc.

Lines and Outlines

Re-outlining is used to make the boundaries and contours of the thangka painting clearer after the coloring is complete. Red lines， gold lines， and black lines are commonly used in this process （blue lines and green lines are also included in black lines）. Different colored lines are chosen based on the background color of the painting. For lighter colors like white， light gray ink is used for outlining， while light rouge is used for flesh-colored outlines. Red， yellow， and gold lines are outlined with cinnabar red. When outlining with different colored lines， the order should be from dark to light， that is， black lines are outlined first， followed by red lines， and finally gold lines. In colored thangkas， different colored lines are used， while red lines are predominantly used in gold thangkas， and gold lines are predominantly used in black and red thangkas. It’s clearly seen that color and lines are thangka’s two most important artistic languages.

Previously， my father used to use a metaphor， saying that a single line is worth a horse， to emphasize the importance of lines in the creation of Thangka paintings. When it comes to evaluating the quality of a Thangka painting， the lines are the most critical aspect to consider. Similarly， when assessing the skill of a painter， the lines are also the key focus. In the Regong area， apprentices practice drawing preliminary sketches on smooth wooden boards from a young age. This training is particularly effective in helping develop the painter’s stability of hand movements. By being able to sketch Thangka images smoothly and fluidly on smooth boards， the skills of line drawing are naturally developed. There are several requirements for a painter when it comes to the line drawing. First， the painter’s hand must be stable. When drawing lines， the painter must hold their breath and complete each line in one go. The lines will not be complete or smooth if the hand shakes during this process. Second， the painter must control their speed. The speed must be moderate， not too fast or too slow. If the speed is too fast， the line’s endpoint may not be well defined， while if the speed is too slow， the hand may shake during the process. Therefore， the line drawing should be quick but not rushed， with a focus on stability. Third， the painter must control the amount of pigment on their brush when dipping it into the colors. The amount of pigment taken should be just enough for one stroke. If there is too little pigment， the line will not be complete， while if there is too much pigment， the remaining pigment on the brush tip will not allow the line to be smooth.

The lines of each part of the Buddha’s body， such as the face， neck， arms， hands， and feet， need to be consistent with the skin color. These lines are called “flesh lines” and are generally drawn with evenly thick and red-colored lines. The lines of the Buddha’s robes， dresses， and streamers are thicker on the convex parts and thinner on the concave parts， gradually disappearing from the thick to the thin end. The veins and textures on leaves and flowers should be thick in the middle and thin at both ends. The lines of clouds， flowers and the backlight of the Buddha’s image have a transition of color intensity and depth. The color at the start of the line is denser and gradually becomes lighter outward， creating a three-dimensional effect.

The gold line drawn on the thangka painting is also a kind of outline. A special fine brush is used for gilding， some of which have only one hair at the tip. Generally， dragons， phoenixes， leaf circles， leaf forks， fish eyes， eight auspicious symbols， and seven precious things are outlined on Buddha crowns， ornaments， robes， dresses， sashes， leaves， rivers， mountains， palaces， and other places to represent auspicious patterns. It is necessary to pay attention to the thickness of the gold liquid， and the lines should be meticulous and uniform. Gilding not only adds color to thangka works， but also increases their value.

Kindling the Eyes and Consecration

The last step in the entire Thangka painting process and the finishing touch of the Thangka is kindling the eyes. Artists attach great importance to kindling the eyes， selecting an auspicious day， reciting scriptures， and having experienced old artists paint them by hand. When my father used to kindle the eyes， he often said that portraying the Buddha’s facial features and appearance must be exquisite to achieve a lifelike effect. When people look at a Thangka， they first notice the Buddha’s facial expression. When admiring facial expressions， they mainly focus on the eyes， the windows of the soul， and eye contact is the most subtle.

When kindling the eyes， the color of the Buddha’s face is first painted with the pigment of the Buddha’s skin， vividly depicting the three-dimensional effect of the facial features. Then， white pigment is applied to the eyes to paint the whites of the eyes. A small amount of light cyan pigment is used to draw the pupils and eyelashes， and light cerulean is used to outline the eye. Finally， dark cerulean is used to dot the pupil. The solemn compassion of Buddha and Bodhisattvas， and the fierce majesty of the Dharma Protectors are all depicted through the eyes and eyebrows. There is no shortcut to this technique as it requires summarizing experience and mastering the rules through long-term practice.

If a Thangka needs to be consecrated， it is usually performed on the same day as kindling the eye. Consecration has its prescribed rituals， including meditation， reciting scriptures， and using religious instruments such as vases and mantras. Consecration is to invite Buddha and Bodhisattvas to reside in the Buddha image on the painting， to infuse wisdom and grace into the Thangka， and to endow the Thangka with divine power and spirituality， to bless the Thangka painter and the donor with the wisdom of the Buddha. Prayers， praises， and mantras for the deity are also written on the back of the Thangka， or the handprint or seal of the Living Buddha is engraved on the back of the Thangka. All of these are blessings for the Thangka， increasing the protective energy of the Thangka.

Zhuomo Tso

Zhuomo Tso， Ph.D.， is an associate professor at Qinghai Minzu University and a part-time researcher at the Center for Multicultural Studies， Sichuan Normal University. Her main research focuses on ethnic education and the preservation and inheritance of ethnic culture.