Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Giant Tangka paintings on display

Tangka painting has a long history in the Tibet Autonomous Region; first appear about 13-hundred years ago. Today, the ancient artistic traditions still fascinate people from home and abroad. This week in Beijing, a Tangka painting of extraordinary size was unveiled.
At the exhibition entitled the Ethnic Artistic Treasures of the Chinese Nation, a giant tangka painting measures 13-by-1.3-meters is astounding visitors. The work is an description of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion. In all, the painting contains a whole of 34 stories and more than two-thousand characters.
Tangka, or Tibetan Buddhist story painting, is an attractive element of the Tibet culture. Tangka paintings are formed on rolls of silk or satin and depict Tibetan anecdotes or folk customs and images of the Buddha. It's an art handed down over a thousand years, and is listed as a division of China's Cultural Heritage. It features strict composition and detailed depiction. Besides Buddhist themes, Tangka paintings also a customs, feature history, and legendary figures of Tibet.

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