Tibetan Cultural Expo: Tibetan Thangka 西藏文化博览：西藏唐卡

唐卡(Thangka)也叫唐嘎，唐喀，系藏文音译，它是刺绣或绘画在布、绸或纸上的彩色卷轴画，是富有藏族文化特色的一个画种。
Thangka, also known as Tangga or Tangka, is a transliteration from the Tibetan language. A colorful scroll painted or embroidered on cloth, silk or paper, it is a painting variety abundant with Tibetan culture.
唐卡内容繁多，既有多姿多态的佛像，也有反映藏族历史和民族风情的画面。西藏唐卡构图严谨，均衡，丰满，多变，画法主要有工笔重彩与白描为主。
There are many different kinds of Thangkas in terms of contents, including not only pictures of the Buddha, but also pictures depicting Tibetan history and folk customs. Tibetan Thangka features precise designs, balanced layouts, abundant contents and unique styles. Thangkas are mainly painted using heavy colors by fine brushwork and line drawings.
唐卡品种多种多样，除彩绘唐卡与印刷唐卡外，还有刺绣、织锦（堆绣）、缂丝、贴花及珍珠唐卡等。刺绣唐卡是用各色丝线绣成，凡山水、人物、花卉、翎毛、亭台、楼阁等均可刺绣。织锦唐卡是以缎纹为地，用数色之丝为纬，间错提花而织造，粘贴在织物上，故又称“堆绣”。贴花唐卡是用各色彩缎，剪裁成各种人物和图形，粘贴在织物上。缂丝唐卡是用“通经断纬”的方法，用各色纬线仅于强烈的装饰性。有的还在五彩缤纷的花纹上，把珠玉宝石用金丝缀于其间，珠联璧合，金彩辉映，格外地显得灿烂夺目。缂丝是我国特有的将绘画移植于丝织品上的特种工艺品。这些织物唐卡，质地紧密而厚实、构图严谨、花纹精致、色彩绚丽。
Thangka come in different types in terms of production approaches. Besides color painting and printing Thangka, there are also embroidered Thangka, brocaded Thangka, kesi Thangka, appliqué Thangka and pearl Thangka. Embroidered Thangka is made with silk threads of various colors with contents including mountains and waters, people, flowers, feathers, kiosks and pavilions; brocaded Thangka is made on silk texture. Different patterns are made with silk threads of several colors and then stick them to the fabrics. This is also called barbola. Applique Thangka is made by pasting various figures and patterns cut from different colored silk into the fabrics. Kesi Thangka uses continuous longitudinal lines and broken latitude lines to express various patterns. The latitude lines of various colors are used only for decoration. Sometimes, jewelries and stones are added on the colorful patterns, making the Tangkas more glorious and splendid. Kesi Thangka is a special artistic work that transplant painting into silk products unique only to China. These fabric Thangkas feature tight and thick textures, precise layouts, delicate patterns and eye-catching colors.