Sacred Arts of Tibet (.pdf) - Asian Art Museum | Education

Sacred Arts of Tibet
Paintings, small sculptures, and texts copied onto palm leaves or printed books were the teaching tools
used by the monks who brought Buddhism to Tibet and virtually every corner of Asia. Once Buddhism
took root, local artist/monks began to depict Buddhist subjects to further their own studies and gain
merit.
Discussion Points/Teaching Suggestions
1) Looking Exercise
Before telling the students anything about this painting (or use any slide in this packet), ask them to look
and describe what they see. They will enjoy discovering the details. Ask them to look closely and be thorough
in their descriptions. They should notice the difference between peaceful and wrathful figures. After
discussing, tell them a bit about the deities and what they represent. Ask them to discuss the images more
with the new knowledge they have. Was the artist successful in portraying peaceful versus wrathful? How
so or not?
2) Body Language
Discuss the hand and body positions of the figures and what they communicate. Talk about other forms
of body language or visual communication one sees in the US, in magazines and newspapers, on TV.
Discuss the use of symbols in this painting—the lotus, the sword, the book, etc..
Source
Terese Bartholomew, “A Tibetan Thangka: The Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara,” Triptych (November/
December, 1990): pp. 8-9.
28
Asian Art Museum