Green Tara Thangka Paintings: A Comparative Analysis

Introduction to Thangka Painting

The Cleveland Green Tara painting is a classic example of Tibetan thangka art. Thangka is a form of art deeply connected with Tibetan culture and mysticism. Thangka paintings are more than mere works of art; they hold a significant place in Tibetan religion and daily life, depicting many aspects of Buddhism. Traditionally painted on silk or cotton, thangkas use bright colors and are displayed in many Nepalese and Tibetan homes.

Thangkas are hand-painted by Nepali or Tibetan artists. The term thangka is believed to derive from the word thang yig, meaning "a written record" (Thangkapaintings.com). While thangkas are found in many homes as wall decorations, to the Lamas they are objects of spiritual importance — bringers of blessings and focal points for meditation.

Thangkas can be divided into two major categories: bristhan and gosthan. Bristhan are painted onto cloth, while gosthan have designs woven directly into them. Painted thangkas are further divided into five subcategories: those with differently colored backgrounds, gold backgrounds, red backgrounds, black backgrounds, and those whose outlines are printed on cotton and then filled in with color (Thangkapaintings.com). They come in many styles and cover many subjects, including Buddhist and Hindu gods and goddesses, the Buddha and his life cycle, the Wheel of Life, mandalas, and other imagery (Thangkapaintings.com). Not all subjects are religious in nature, and many carry recognizable iconography that provides viewers with information about the traditions from which each piece originated.

Tara is a Tibetan deity who helps practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism learn the inner, outer, and secret lessons related to compassion and the achievement of emptiness in meditation. Green Tara is the female Buddha of enlightenment. She can be contrasted with the Red Tara, who stands for a fierce magnetizing effect on all good things; the Black Tara, associated with power; and the Blue Tara, associated with the transformation of anger. Each Tara has a specific meaning and value to the practitioner of meditation and to those seeking enlightenment. The following analysis examines three renditions of the Green Tara, beginning with an ancient thangka painting known as the Cleveland Green Tara, dated to the 13th century.

The Cleveland Green Tara

The Cleveland Green Tara painting is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art and is dated to the 13th century. It is a black-background thangka featuring the Green Tara, rendered in color on canvas and measuring 52.4 cm × 43.2 cm (Rumsey). The Green Tara is also known as the Syama Tara. According to Rumsey, she is one of the most popular deities in Tibet and is the personification of wisdom (prajna), protecting and offering salvation to her followers.

As with most Tara depictions, the Green Tara can take on many iconographic variations that give her a more specific meaning. In the Cleveland Green Tara, she is shown as the Astamahabhaya Tara, serving as Protectress from the Eight Great Perils in this particular pose (Rumsey). The eight great perils are depicted on both sides of the doorjambs of the shrine. Behind the shrine are seventeen different species of a bodhi tree, each characteristic of the growth of a different Buddha. This serves as symbolism for the path to enlightenment and a reminder that the Green Tara is the mother of all Buddhas (Rumsey). The largest tree appears at the top and is adorned with precious gems rather than fruits, as with the other trees, making it the tree of the fulfillment of wishes.

The Green Tara sits on a double lotus placed on a base decorated with lions and elephants. The arch at the top is adorned with the face of glory (kirttimukha) (Rumsey). Rearing rams standing on the backs of elephants support the arch. The outer wall of the shrine depicts lions standing on the backs of elephants. It is worth noting that these images are not completely symmetrical: the right-hand elephant with the goat is more visible than the left-hand elephant, and both elephants with lions on their backs face the same direction — not what one would expect if they were symmetrically supporting the arch. According to Rumsey, the painting shows a distinctive eastern Indian influence alongside a strong Nepalese influence.

The Green Tara is depicted with a blue peony. Blue symbolizes the potential for rage and anger that lies within everyone; even the most peaceful person carries this potential. The blue in her halo similarly symbolizes this inner potential. The purpose of the Green Tara is to guard practitioners from the forces symbolized by the blue portions of the painting.

According to Rumsey, the combination of Nepalese and Indian influences in the painting suggests an early date — a time when the Pala style of Tara painting was dominant and when Newari influence was strong. These features support the dating of the thangka to the 13th century, and the piece is reminiscent of Aniko's studio. The monk who commissioned the painting is depicted at the bottom right of the goddess, though his identity has been lost to time. The reverse side of the thangka contains a Tibetan inscription that quotes a Buddhist mantra and poem, further supporting the work's Tibetan origins (Rumsey).

Conclusion: Enduring Iconographic Elements

Thangka paintings are an important part of Tibetan life. Many regional differences exist in the styles and techniques employed, and it is worth noting that thangkas from western Tibet often take on a Chinese influence. Thangkas of a religious nature are typically divided into three major portions — the top, middle, and lower sections — representing heaven, earth, and the underworld (U-waytours.com). In the Ford Collection and Suntek paintings, this division is accomplished through the use of top and bottom borders. In the Cleveland Green Tara, however, an actual sky behind the altar serves this purpose.

The artists who created the three thangkas examined in this paper left many clues as to the time and place of each painting's production. It is clear that some degree of variation was permitted even when depicting the same deity with a similar intended meaning. Yet several iconographic points endured across all three renditions of the Green Tara. The first is the presence of the lotus flower on which she is seated. The second is the presence of blue flowers flanking the deity. The third is the inclusion of representations of the eight great physical perils. The consistent use of blue elements serves as a reminder to viewers not to let anger overtake them. The constancy of these elements across all three works indicates that they represent the most fundamental characteristics of the Green Tara.

The Cleveland Green Tara painting demonstrates a decidedly Indian influence in the decorative elements surrounding the shrine and in the inclusion of elephants and lions. It also demonstrates that careful attention to the iconographic details of a thangka can reveal subtle clues about the culture and age of the work. According to Asianart.com, Indian thangkas are older than Tibetan ones; thus, the heavy Indian influence infused with purely Tibetan elements in the Cleveland painting provides additional evidence for its dating. Thangka is one of the key defining art forms of Tibet and one of the most enduring connections between the tradition and its people.

References

Asianart.com. Desire and Devotion: Art From India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. Accessed November 23, 2010.

Rumsey, D. Green Tara. Accessed November 23, 2010.

Thangkapaintings.com. Thangka Painting: Tibetan Art Works or Tibetan Painting. Accessed November 23, 2010.

Tibetanartschool.com. The Menris Tradition. Accessed November 24, 2010.

U-waytours.com. Tibet Thangka. Accessed November 24, 2010.