![]() ![]() Windows, doors, temples roof-struts and numerous artefacts where all carved by hand and many can still be seen in the Kathmandu valley today. Woodcarving, whilst not in always in ornamental form, also served a decorative purpose in ancient Nepal and thus is viewed as an art form by many. The Lichchhavi period (5-8 CE) is seen by many as being the Golden Age of Nepalese sculpture and many excellently excavated and preserved examples can be found. The use of clothing and ornaments were always kept to a minimum and often the subject wears only a dhoti or sanghatis. There is a lot of attention to detail whilst still presenting the deity in a simplistic way. Made from stone, copper and bronze, these sculptures depict round faces and slanted eyes. Whilst early sculptures may seem somewhat rudimentary in comparison, those from the Lichchhavi period are strikingly beautiful. All early sculptures are religious in nature and the artists themselves also seemed to be extremely devoted to their various deities. Sculpture has enjoyed a long and interesting history in Nepal and many carved artefacts have been found in the Terai region of the country. ![]() The thangkas produced where said to possess magic forces and a great variety of symbols where incorporated into the artwork. Because of the esoteric nature of Tantrism, a strong emphasis was put on the female element and sexuality during this time. Artists started to use brighter colors and there was a tendency towards the portrayal of Shiva and Shakti in various conventional poses. Early thangkas are simple in design and consist of a centrally positioned large deity surrounded by smaller figures of lesser importance.įrom around the 15th century, the Tantric cult started to take hold of the people of the land. A good example of a thangka painting is the ‘Mandala of Vishnu’ which dates back to 1420 AD. Widely received with much praise, these thangka paintings made their way into homes and monasteries in the ninth century and are still popular today. The creation of illuminated wall paintings or religious metal sculptures was in big demand at one stage and this spawned an ‘industry’ of skilled artisans who catered to the demand by initiating the painting of such icons on cloth which could be rolled up and easily transported. Known as Paubha in Newari and Thangka in Tibetan, it is most likely that these paintings originated in Nepal. These were primarily religious in nature and were used as icons in worship. For this reason older paintings are usually held in higher regard than more modern manuscripts of lower quality.Īnother form of painting that has been evident in Nepal since time immemorial is that of Thangka Paintings. Eventually stylistic quality did start to deteriorate – especially on paper manuscripts. Thus the style of painting remained fairly constant and painting quality was maintained for a long period of time. Oftentimes certain manuscripts – along with the relevant imagery – would be copied and donated to a monk, priest, monastery or temple. In fact, all surviving illustrated manuscripts are illustrated with images of gods and goddesses, regardless of whether they are Buddhist or Hindu in origin. The influence that religion has on such artwork is evident in the fact that such manuscripts are usually only decorated with figures of divinities. Many examples of this type of art have survived and are quite well preserved. Often the wooden covers which were created to protect the manuscript-painted leaves are more lavishly decorated that the actual manuscript. This tradition goes far back into the past and the earliest known illustrated manuscript is the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita which is dated 1015 AD. ![]() The earliest examples of Nepalese art in painted form is that of manuscript illustrations found on palm leaves. ![]()
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