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.
The making of all sacred figures, both two- and three-dimensional, is governed by strict rules of proportion, or iconometry, and dictated by religious texts that describe deities and their measurements. The colors of the deities are also determined by iconographic conventions and are highly symbolic. Other elements, such as the background and landscapes, are more open to an individual artist’s interpretation and tend to follow local or regional traditions.
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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