Letters from two art conservation students

What I Learned from the Thanka Conservation Training Course

By Tsering Penlo, August 19, 1999

Tibetan is famous for its long history and splendid culture. But some of the valuable Tibetan cultural products have suffered from natural aging, conscious and unconscious damage. In the past, few people recognized the importance of the historic Tibetan culture. In modern society, people are experiencing the great changes brought by modernization. Living standards become higher and higher, communication with the outside world improves faster and faster, knowledge becomes broader, and the world becomes smaller. Gradually, people are recognizing the value and historic importance of our excellent culture.

From 17th July to 4th August, it was my great honor to have a chance to attend a thanka Conservation Training Course, which was sponsored by Kham Aid Foundation and held in The Tibetan School of Sichuan Province. In the course, a British textile conservator Teresa Heady taught us knowledge on how to restore the textile parts of thanka paintings, an American conservation expert Karen Yager taught us skills and techniques on how to clean different kinds of dirt with different chemicals, how to transport, repair, and restore thanka paintings. Karen also guided us to practice on test samples and real thanka paintings.

Through this Thanka Conservation Training Course, I learned valuable skills and techniques for the restoration of thanka paintings; I also realized that Tibetan culture belongs not only to Tibetans but to all of humanity.

We would like to express our gratitude to the sponsors, organizers and teachers, who have done great contribution to the preservation of the culture of mankind. I hope I can have more chances to attend such training and will do my best to protect our excellent historic heritage.

Thank you very much!

My Feelings on the Thanka Conservation Training Course

By Shirab Gyaltsen, August 20,1999

Thanka painting is a special religious art of Tibet; it is not only a symbol of Tibet but also a record of Tibetan history. As a Tibetan, I feel proud of the excellent culture of my people. As time passes, nothing can keep its original style; culture relics can suffer conscious or unconscious damage. We can't prevent or stop the natural changes, but we can slow them down-- this is my idea on the concept of Conservation. Every ethnic group wants their own historic culture to be preserved and promoted in the world for good.

I am very lucky that I had the chance to attend the Thanka Conservation Training Course from 17th July to 4th August in Tibetan School of Sichuan Province. In the course, an American conservation expert and a British conservator taught us many skills and techniques of thanka conservation. First of all, I learned the basic traits of thankas, how to get information from thankas, how to tell the painting style, how to estimate a thanka's age and where the painting came from, what kinds of pigments were used in the painting, what kind of damage a painting has suffered, and how to clean and restore damaged thankas.

Secondly I learned how to deal with the textile parts of thanka painting. Thirdly, I learned how to mend cracks and holes. While the experts explained theory, they also guided us in practice. Besides conservation knowledge, I made a great progress in English learning and social knowledge.

Our young Tibetans should be on duty to preserve our own culture heritage.