Beginning in the fifteenth century there was a gradual shift in Tibetan art from an Indic-centered aesthetic toward a more Chinese-centered one. This shift reflects the disappearance of Buddhism in India and Tibet’s increasingly close cultural, economic, and political ties to its northeastern Mongolian and Chinese neighbors.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, newly emerging Tibetan painting styles in Central Tibet were named after famous indigenous masters and artistic centers rather than adopted traditions such as Eastern Indian, Kashmiri, or Nepalese. These new styles, including the Menri, Khyenri, and Gardri, were known for their integration of Chinese-inspired landscapes and corresponding shift to increasingly green and blue palettes of malachite and azurite.
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Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje
Tibet
17th century
Few Tibetan artworks can be attributed to a specific artist, and by far the most remarkable among them are those associated with the Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (1604–1674). A renowned Tibetan artist and religious leader, Choying Dorje looked to a range of traditions, including Chinese art of antiquity for inspiration in his paintings and ancient metalwork from the regions of Kashmir and Swat for his sculptures. The fleshy lotus petals that make up Tara’s seat and the striated pattern on her tight-fitting clothing reveal this connection.
Aspects of the Tenth Karmapa’s personal figural style include the thick plates of hair piled on the left side of Tara’s head and the thick plasticity of her ornaments, such as her tremendous earrings and the bulbous bobbles of her necklace. The Karmapa often subtlety incorporated his love of animals into his works, as seen in the pair of birds nestled in a leafy bower above the goddess’s head.
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