Why use gold in Thanka ??
Gold represents the bright rays of light that illuminate our world. It's the color of mastery over the physical and non physical lower dimensions. Gold has traditionally been a sacred color associated with deities and Buddhist beings to represent their transcendental nature.
Artists used either gold leaf or gold paint depending on the desired “light” effect, and employed many different techniques- gold leaf is cut into strips or other desired shapes and affixed to objects to be decorated)—for their application.
The different applications of gold found throughout the Thanka art shows the meticulous care given to this work—sometime the gold leaf are pressed onto the silk from the back of the painting to create an iridescence for the bodies of the buddha and bodhisattva images, while gold paint is applied on the front to depict the intricate outlines of their bodies. The lavish detailing that is extremely difficult to discern with the naked eye is a distinguishing feature of Thanka.
