The Beauty of Black (The Female Buddha Vajravarahi)

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Her expression in this painting is extremely terrifying. The complexion of her body is black with a thick brown outlining. She stands in the attitude of dancing in ardhaparyanka on the back of a corpse, representing ignorance. Her upraised right hand is holding a vajra-marked chopper, and the left, held near the breast, a skull bowl filled with demon's blood. Her golden hair is upswept. Her three eyes are angry and staring. Her mouth is open, showing her teeth. She is wearing a crown of skulls with jewels. There is a head of sow on the top of her crown. Moreover she wears flowing scarves, human and elephant skins; jewel and bone ornaments and a garland of freshly severed human heads. Her hips are covered with a tiger skin. There is an arch shaped golden color aureole behind her body with wisdom fire fence.

The upper corners are filled with stylized clouds. The middle ground depicts high peaks, lakes, natural vegetation and mountainous landscape framed by clouds. The foreground is filled with rocks, lakes, natural vegetation and offerings. The lining and composition of the painting is excellent and represents the beauty of black. Moreover, the stark and dark background creates a serious mood. Thus, it is very much suitable for meditation and worship of Vajravarahi.

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (from its inception to 8th century A.D)."

References: A. Getty, The Gods Of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Calcutta, 1968

M.M. Rhie & R. A. F. Thurman, The Sacred Art Of Tibet, London, 1996

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.