The Tsering Art School is part of the Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship which is a non-profit organisation with projects for cultural preservation and humanitarian aid in Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan.The primary concern of the Shechen Institute of Traditional Tibetan Art, ‘Tsering Art School’ is the thangka painting school. It was established by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche in 1996 in response to the urgent need for young artists to be able to receive a complete and thorough training in a pure and authentic lineage of thangka painting (thangkas are Tibetan Buddhist pictorial scrolls, either painted or made of fabric).
Previously in Tibet the main form of painting was Buddhist sacred art. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution the ancient traditional arts in Tibet suffered irreparable damage when over 6,000 monasteries and the art works they contained were destroyed. In addition to this tragic loss, the degeneration of the authentic Buddhist painting traditions from the whole Himalayan region still continues today, largely because of the commercialisation of thangka production for a tourist market. This means that people without proper training are producing poorly executed thangkas with incorrect iconography. The overall result is that the sacred meaning and purpose of this precious art form is in danger of being lost.
The lineage of thangka painting the students are trained in is called ‘Karma Gadri’, which originated in Eastern Tibet and is famous its spacious landscapes and transparent treatment of colour.
The goal of the school is thus to provide the opportunity for young men and women from the Himalayan region and abroad to acquire the knowledge and skill to keep alive this sacred tradition from within its proper context of genuine Buddhist practice.
