CLAY BUDDHIST SCULPTURES
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Asang in His clay Sculpture Studio
One year after I had interviewed Asang I was to meet him again.
The workshop was still called “Clay Statues Shop” located in the Barkor Street. Stepping inside, I was greeting by his two little apprentices. It seemed that they easily recognized me and smiled happily at me. Asang was still sitting in the corner close to the glass door, in the same position as one year ago when I first saw him.
In the fall of 2006, drawn by an ambition to write a book on the techniques of Tibetan handcrafts, I came to the Barkor Street to find subjects for interviews. Asang’s workshop was located on the fringe of the Barkor Street; a prosperous area. From the glass door, I saw people inside were working on clay buddhist statues, and I instinctively walked in. I saw two children were sitting cross-legged on a bed and working with clay, while another child was sewing a Buddhist robe on a sewing machine. Turning around, I saw Asang was sitting behind a statue of the Green
Tara in the corner and was busy at work on his statue. He looked at me and smiled, and then lowered his head over the statue of Tara.
To all my questions, he always answered patiently and I gained a really good impression of him. So I decided to interview him in his shop. Asang agreed and immediately I put my backpack down, grabbed a cushion and, sitting crosslegged in front of him, I launched into my interview.
Asang’s career in clay statues started when he was just 15. His teacher was the current oldest exponent of clay statues in Tibet; an 80 year old retiree who had worked in the Tibetan Museum. After five years of strenuous study, his skill qualified him to run this workshop independently. Currently, he is 27.
Last year he had two apprentices and he took on another apprentice this year. Although the apprentices were about 17 to 18 years old, their disposition tended to resemble that of their teacher; kind and modest. I was very comfortable to conduct an interview amongst such harmonious people and insuch a comfortable environment.
I am particularly attracted to people who are working in creative arts, largely because they have a calm preoccupation while working on their products and taking their time. People like me totally lack such qualities, being instantly interested in everything. However, Asang is true to type: he is young and energetic but has been devoted to clay statues for years.
The Progressive Phases in the Technique of Tibetan Clay Sculpture
Though Asang has extensive knowledge and skill in clay sculpture, his limited command of Chinese language restricted his answers w h e n I q u e s t i o n e d him about the various techniques of Tibetan clay sculpture. Having read a large amount of related literature, I discovered scholars in this area had already defined some outlines on history and techniques. For over a thousand years of development, Tibetan clay sculpture has gone through the following phases and each individual phase has its own individual characteristics:
The defining moment in the evolution of Tibetan clay sculpture towards more
complex and luxurious design came after the 16th Century. The style of this particular period tended to be a combination of everyday reality, ceremony, mysticism and rich decoration. The sculptures produced were replete with the detailed work of Tibetan artisans. By and large, the arts as a whole were devoid of the rich and detailed affectation and individualization of its background, which could appear rather foppish.
Quintessence of Clay Sculptures in Tibet
Amongst the enormous sculptures preserved in the monasteries of Tibet, clay sculptures are plentiful since the materials and techniques of production are reasonably accessible. Nevertheless, clay sculptures are notorious for being indifferently preserved. Few ancestral relics have survived. I have seen excellent clay artifacts in a ruined state in the Toling Monastery in Ngari and I was actually extremely surprised to discover that some intact parts of the ruined clay sculptures still showed their original colors. There is no doubt that the damage to these articles is man-made. Nonetheless, since the skeleton of clay sculptures are usually made from wood, leather, and even grass while the central spine is mainly wood, the nature of the construction of clay sculptures determines their capacity to resist disaster.
The clay sculptures preserved in the Toling Monastery are amongst the earliest clay products in Tibet, older than 900 years. Those clay sculptures have a variety of shapes to depict the different Buddha, Bodhisattvas, disciples, eminent monks, great successors, and guardians. From the physical perspective of those sculptures, the main Buddha is often built several meters in height, flanked on both sides with life-size statues resembling the features of the Kashmir Buddhist style. The Buddha depicted in sculpture is usually produced symmetrically and proportionately. The Buddha, on the one hand, looks masculine and solemn with a high-bridged nose and widened shoulders. On the other hand, Bodhisattvas appear graceful and charming with prominent breasts and a slim waist. As for the disciples, eminent monks, and great successors, they are designed to have individual personalities. Nonetheless, the appearance of guardians is often exaggerated to give a strong and powerful appearance. These sculptures are mostly painted but some are unpainted. The rational integration of the techniques of painting and sculpture is one of features of the sculptural arts of Ngari during the later diffusion of Buddhism, and is distinct from the sculpture techniques popularized in other area of Tibet.
The Ewang Monastery, found in the 12th Century, lies in Kangmar County in Shigatse. The clay sculptures preserved in the monastery are amongst the earliest clay sculptures in both anterior and posterior Tibet and also the most precious relics of Tibetan clay sculptures. As the Ewang Monastery stands on the commercial artery between Dromo and Gyantse, and Dromo is the south entrance from Tibet to India, the influence of Polu art made a deep
impression on the arts of middle Asia. The most distinctive feature of the sculptures is the decoration of the cassock, appearing to hang realistically like cloth with delicate and very detailed drawing, and accompanied by curved flowers in the Persian style. The integration of alien art forms into local styles―by adopting the best examples―is not only the feature of the clay sculptures in the Ewang Monastery, but also one of the important characteristics of Tibetan Buddhist arts.
Tibetan Buddhist art embodies its region by absorbing the Buddhist art of the hinterland and India, integrating their best elements with the vernacular arts, in tandem with the adoption of the characteristics of the art of Nepal, Karshmir, and Gilgit. Such embodiment can be clearly observed in the Palkhor Monastery in Gyantse.
The Palkhor Monastery, consisting of a main hall and the Palkhor Tower, was built between 1427 and 1436. The monastery is well known for its enormous, delicate murals and clay sculptures. Several hundred clay sculptures are kept in the 77 small chapels of the Palkhor Tower and main chapels of the three-storey monastery. These clay sculptures do not show the earliest imported art styles, but rather a new manifestation of the vernacular arts of Tibet, embodying the aesthetics and perceptions of Tibetan artisans. In particular, the sculptures of the great perfection figures, the eminent monks of Sakya and painted sculptures of sixteen arhats are masterpieces. Attractively designed, those sculptured figures are dressed in serpentine cassocks with strong and powerful poses together with an animated but also mystical countenance. In every part the composition of the sculptures look natural with flowing lines while the artistic styles may vary but are delicate and unique. The complex pattern designs on their surfaces are not merely of interest to designers, but rather they address the interior world of the sculptured figures through the display of exterior shapes. These sculptures are regarded as masterpieces of naturalist iconography, the embodiment of the successful achievements of Tibetan sculptures in iconography.
All these sculptures are produced by Tibetan artisans. In the early 15th Century, artisans from different areas in Tibet convened in the Palkhor Monastery. They shared techniques and skills and finally formed the socalled “Gyantse Style”, a new approach to Tibetan Buddhist art that also played a significant role in the history of Tibetan painting and sculpture, especially a vital influence on the advancement of Tibetan Buddhist arts after the 15th Century.
Using Your Heart to Invite Buddha from the Earth
Asang told me the clay used for sculpture must be suitable in terms of feeling smooth, adhesive and resistant to early drying and wind erosion. Sculptors have used red clay brought from a mountain in Lhundrup County since ancient times. The red clay is regularly backpacked to Lhasa to sell for 40 Yuan per bag (about 20-25 Kilogram).
Interestingly, what I saw in his shop was actually not the red clay but brown. I questioned Asang, and he told me the over-exploitation of this
mountain had caused a landslide due to the undermining of the mountain structure when the rainy season came. Therefore, this kind of clay was now unavailable in the market and accordingly the replacement became the brown one, which was reasonably well suited for sculpture except the color was not as attractive as the red clay.
Since the clay is purchased from the market shaped into one dry piece, it must be broken up before it can be worked on. After having screened out tiny stones and any unnecessary material, the crushed clay is placed on a table and the proper amount of water is added and mixed to form a smooth medium. Then two physically strong apprentices start to regularly pound the lump of clay, using a big wood block, until the right consistency is achieved.
However, a key procedure must not be ignored before kneading the clay. That is, to add some local Tibetan-produced paper to the clay. Asang often purchased old scriptures from monasteries and ground them up into tiny pieces with a wooden block. This paper is often one third of the total quantity of materials used for the exterior of a sculpture. Repeatedly kneading the mixture of clay and paper, Asang comments, seemingly increases the fiber content of the clay to enhance its cohesive capacity. All this effort definitely contributes to resistance to cracking while drying. In addition, adding the scriptures furnished by monks to the clay also symbolizes worship.
According to Asang, only when scripture is recited during the process of creating sculptures, will the statues of Buddha be perfect and it makes the creation of the statue an act of worship. In particular, while producing a giant sculpture of Buddha, some specific scriptures regarding the purging of evils must be recited as the maker moves up and down the body of the sculpture, otherwise such behavior would be recognized as insulting and irreverent to Buddha. It is not hard to understand why sculptors always teach apprentices both the skills and techniques of making clay sculpture and the sutra related to the measurement of statues as well as some other related sutras.
The Most Diffi cult Part in Making Sculpture
On this visit, I brought my new book in which an article about Asang and his clay sculptures are included. Asang’s three apprentices were very excited and jostled each other to take a look. One of them even intermittently read the article using his limited Chinese. On hearing this, Asang wiped his muddy hands and stepped forward. I saw the glint of excitement in their smiling eyes. I was also pleased.
There is a picture inside the book depicting Asang working on a green Tara sculpture that was ordered as one of a total of 21 identical sculptures. After the three apprentices worked on some preliminary procedures, Asang, following the strict rules in the sutra on measurement of sculptures, started the more complex procedures. He had to obey all steps illustrated in the sutra and follow the standards regarding lines, proportion, posture, accessories, size of sculptures and so forth. The standard illustrated in the sutra is the very primary set of rules for a Tibetan apprentice to start his career in Tibetan sculpture.
The most difficult work in clay sculpture is to work on the face of a sculpture, since every
individual statue has a different face. It is formidably hard for an artisan to successfully make an identical face on different individual sculptures, and even a challenge to make the facial expression of a statue look alive and realistic. Nevertheless, the greatest difficulty is to produce an identical sculpture, as one customer might order two. That was the exactly situation for Asang when a customer ordered 21 identical Buddhist sculptures of the Green Tara. It was a big challenge for Asang as there was no model available and he could only rely on his hands and simple tools to create a sixcentimeter-square face on which the variation in every part must be less than two millimeters. Any variation beyond this would result in a completely different facial appearance. Despite the difficulty, Asang finished the task to perfection. His skill has made him well known amongst his colleagues, and nearby monasteries vie each other to invite him to sculpt five to six meter high giant Buddhist sculptures. Whenever you walk into any sculpture workshop in Lhasa, they will know of him.
During this visit, I saw they were working on the sculpture of Thangtong Gyalpo, the founder of Tibetan opera. On the floor, several different sculptures already stood. The height of the sculptures ranged from 15 to 30 centimeter. It seemed the apprentices were very skillful as I saw them working on some more complex stages like detailed engraving and dyeing. Asang seemed quite content with his apprentices’ work and he did not interrupt them.
However, Asang was not as relaxed as on my last visit. Only after the apprentices formed the base of the sculpture did he do the rest of the work, including sculpting clothes and accessories. When the two apprentices passed the pressed clay bars to Asang, he started to brush on the glue and then, sitting cross-legged on the body of the Green Tara sculpture, he decorated the silk strip of the Tara. Since the crown and basic decorations of the Green Tara are standardized, the artisan could only work creatively on the details. Therefore, Asang took a myriad of colorful plastic stones to carefully to stick on the crown and bracelet of the Green Tara.
Having completed these two procedures, Asang placed the sculpture on a ventilated but shaded spot to complete the detailed painting, decoration
and clothing of the sculpture. After it was completed, the customer took it to ask the monks to conduct a ceremonial furnishing and finally keep it on alter for worship.
Sculpting a Giant Buddhist Sculpture
Two apprentices of Asang were lying on the skeleton of the sculpture while the other was sculpting the hands of the Buddha. What they were doing seemed much more complex than they did on my first visit. Asang commented that his apprentices had already gained, to some extent, intimate skills and knowledge of making clay sculpture. But they still needed more practice and teaching to produce a giant sculpture, which is quite difficult.
To create a giant sculpture, first of all, the artisan must construct an appropriately sized wooden frame covered with straw tied by either grass or cotton threads, since the straw can easily adhere to clay. This frame called a rough case. After covering clay on this rough case, the artisan takes tools to sculpt the skeleton of the body and also the clothes and accessories. In fact, the procedure is easy to talk about but really consumes time and energy, involving many complicated procedures. Any negligence in each individual procedure will lead to unsuccessful practice. The creativity of these artisans is based on standards, experience, technique, skills, and individual capacity in aesthetics.
Most sculpture is strengthened by a thick wooden plate as the backbone. Sculpting often starts from the bottom of the sculpture, and the covering layer of the sculpture is usually about one centimeter in thickness although sometimes the size of sculpture often determines the proper thickness of its “skin”. For example when a sculpture is over ten meters in height, a cover thickness of ten centimeters is required.
Following their custom, whenever artisans take a rest, a wet cloth must
cover the completed part of a sculpture to prevent drying and ensuing cracking. Usually, when the sculpture is covered with a wet cloth it is much easier to glue additions to it the next day. After all this has been done, the completed sculpture is moved to next procedure, drying. Usually, a charcoal burner is placed inside of the abdomen of the sculpture. Charcoal is constantly added to the burner to finally dry all parts of the sculpture.
The common tool for artisans in clay sculpture is a pencil-like wooden stick. Two tool shapes are often used: one is shaped at both ends into parallel shovels engraved with slots which are used for creating the cover of sculptures; the other stick has a smooth shovel shape at one end, which is used to smooth the surface of the sculpture.
Some sculptures include thrones such as a lotus throne and saddle. Tibetans are familiar with preserving holy substances inside of Buddhist statues; therefore wise artisans often make a tiny door back in a sculpture so that any holy substances could be preserved inside.
Religious Intelligence and Spiritualism
By keeping abreast with the diffusion of Buddhist religion, the technique and skills of Tibetan clay sculpture has developed for over one thousand years. The young generation, like Asang, is loyally carrying on this art. I was so impressed by their calm devotion towards this heritage. Just because we have so many young artisans who prefer to choose this medium, we must believe that this heritage will be passed on to future generations.
While I was enjoying the works of Asang, I suddenly found another half-completed sculpture placed on the reception desk of the workshop. This unfinished sculpture was quite distinctive from others because it was not actually a Buddhist sculpture or a guardian sculpture but rather a secular man dressed in traditional Han Chinese clothes. Asang said this sculpture was an order from a Hong Kong customer. Asang’s sculptures had impressed him so he searched for Asang’s workshop and asked him to sculpt a portrait of himself. Asang measured this man and started to sculpt him using the pictures of himself he had left. I asked Asang if he could really sculpt a real person since most of his products strictly followed the rules and standards illustrated in the sutra of measurements of Buddhist sculpture. But Asang’s response was straightforward: he told me it would be no problem if this person had been properly measured.
I, often tending to be pessimistic, started to worry about such an innovation. What does this change mean? Will it conflict with the tradition? Is it natural that fondness for novelty prompts frequent changes?
Nonetheless, given Asang’s calm attitude and after watching the creation of these surrounding Buddhist sculptures, I was finally convinced. Religion is flourishing in Tibet. I guess, if these vernacular artisans were not based in this land and shaped by its religion, they would probably be no more than craftsmen and their products would only be common sculptures. However, the reality is that, since they are embraced by their religion and endowed with their beliefs and ideology, their religious art is much more than very basic handicrafts, their creativity being infused with the spirit of their beliefs. All of these serve to bring their art to perfection with an everlasting unchanged technique and skill. Each product is of importance and qualified to be preserved for future generations because it is conceived with the artisans’ will and worship. They are bestowed with life. When this life comes, the clay will be no longer a simple earth and clay sculpture.