The woodblock printing technique reached its height in Tibet during the eighteenth century, becoming an important means for transmitting artistic compositions across place and time. This process of reproduction entails carving a block of wood with an image based on a famous painting composition; that image is then imprinted on paper or canvas and painted. Individual artists can add further details to the foundational image and use pigments of their choice. This simplified process helped mass produce sets of paintings of popular subjects to decorate monasteries as well as spread stylistic conventions. The images above show a painting juxtaposed with the image of a print upon which it is based.
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Painting on Cloth
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Materials and Technologies
Creating in Clay
Creating in Clay
Unfired clay remains the most commonly used material for sculpture in the Himalayas, from large statues to small tsatsas.
Carving in Stone and Wood
Carving in Stone and Wood
Stone and wood are used by artisans to create three-dimensional images in Himalayan cultural regions.
Woodblock Printing
Woodblock Printing
The invention of printing can be directly connected to Buddhism and the need to reproduce religious texts and simple pictures of the Buddha.
Using Paper
Using Paper
Paper was used widely as a media for copying Buddhist texts and image making.
Casting and Shaping Metal
Casting and Shaping Metal
Metal has become the predominate medium for producing religious sculpture in the Himalayas, primarily by way of hollow or lost wax casting and embossing.
