Materials and Technologies

Learn about the processes and methods for creating Himalayan art that were developed over centuries, refined through collaborative efforts of patrons and artists, and encompass all known traditional art making media. To make three-dimensional objects, artists sculpt and carve in clay, stone, and wood, cast images in the round, and hammer repoussé reliefs in metal.

Textile artisans produce images using the appliqué technique, embroidery, and silk weaving and follow the same rules of proportion as the painters of two-dimensional works. Ordinary people also create objects, such as plaques made from molds using clay, and employ woodblocks to imprint images on cloth or paper to make prayer flags, amulets, and texts. Skilled painters create hanging scrolls called thangka using mineral pigments on prepared cloth or silk canvases.

Casting and Shaping Metal

During the past few centuries metal has become the predominate medium for producing religious sculpture in the Himalayas.

Metal is shaped primarily by way of hollow or lost-wax casting and embossing, also known as repoussé. Both these methods thrive in Nepal, where craftsmen have formed workshops that specialize in these techniques and cater to Hindu and Buddhist patrons. The choice of creating an image by casting versus embossing is often an economic one. Given that casting requires more metal, large images and architectural decorations are usually made by embossing.

Objects in the Exhibition

Painting on Cloth
Painting is the primary two-dimensional form for image making, but different media, such as woodblock prints and woven textiles, are also used to create similar compositions.
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