xi's moments
Home | Society

Lhasa group to help preserve Tibetan art form

By PALDEN NYIMA and DAQIONG in Lhasa | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-11-11 09:58

Master Norbu Sidar (right) watches one of his students paint a thangka at the Tibetan Thangka Academy in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region. LODEN/XINHUA

An association of thangka painters has recently been established in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, in a move to promote the art, which is an intangible cultural heritage.

The region's civil affairs department has officially recognized the group, which was founded by thangka painter Ngawang Jigme, a retired professor from Tibet University.

To date, 14 enterprises and 280 individuals have applied for membership.

Thangka, a traditional Tibetan style of scroll painting on silk or cotton, was listed as a national cultural heritage in 2006.

"In recent decades, the region has been cultivating national- and regional-level thangka artists by establishing many learning centers, and it has seen marvelous results in the production of thangka works, the training of painters and the promotion of thangka-related theory and culture," Ngawang Jigme said.

The thangka industry has greatly contributed to employment and tourism, he added.

"By establishing such an association, painters from different thangka schools will work together to promote the development of the art and train younger painters," he said.

Tashi Samdrub, a renowned thangka master and pigment producer, said the establishment of the thangka association is a major boost for the art, and he is very pleased with its founding.

"This association will help painters from different thangka schools work together and learn from each other," he said.

Moreover, the establishment of the association will help improve the quality of the paintings by setting standards for artists to follow, he added.

Li Chuanzhou, deputy director of the Office of Industry and Resources Development in the region's culture department, said the establishment of the association is a glorious moment for all thangka painters.

"We hope the artists will work together toward the goal of prosperity of the art form, to embrace opportunities and challenges as a team," Li said.

"We also hope the association will play an important role in the inheritance, development, exhibitions and exchange of thangka paintings.

"More lectures, artistic observation and training in thangka should help improve comprehensive theoretical literacy, aesthetic concepts and the artistic vision of the painters."

Global Edition
BACK TO THE TOP
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349