Oldal 341 [341]
CREATING MONGOL DSURAG AND RE-CREATING BUDDHIST ART TRADITION IN MONGOLIA
through his teaching and creations. In this way, Mongol Dsurag started to develop
in parallel ways, both as a part of Buddhist art and as an institutionalised form of
Fine Art. G. Pürewbat seemingly tried to abstain from the institutional education
system but to adhere to the Buddhist philosophy, principles and practice.'® He started
to develop an academic course based on the soviet-style tertiary education module
with some additions by his partner and colleague Kim Sun Jeong from South Korea.
However, Piirewbat was ‘fiercely protective of his methods of teaching Buddhist art.’
17 According to Sue Byrne, a close friend of G. Pürewbat and independent researcher
of Mongolian Buddhism, he aimed defining his own style as an individual artist
“while remaining true to the essence of Buddhist art.””'*
In close relation with the then president Nambariin Enkhbayar (2005-2009), who
worked active on consolidating state and religion, national Buddhist images were
re-created by him and widely spread in Mongolia (such as the painted image of
Vajrapäni).
How were new students recruited or educated as artists of Buddhist art, and here
we speak foremost of young male artists, from the early 1990s on? We follow these
questions by some examples through persons who were kind enough to give us
insight into their careers as artists.
Buddhist artists have been mainly trained in two institutions: at the Mongolian
Institute of Buddhist Art (MIBA) and the Institute of Fine Arts of the Mongolian
National University of Arts and Culture. Taking painting classes at so-called “circles”
(duguilan) as out class activities in the socialist education system, students took their
ways to later enrol at the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art or at the University.
Dorjgotowiin Tulga was trained under the supervision of G. Pürewbat and now
works as a teacher at the same school. He was randomly selected as one of ten stu¬
dents (out of40) while studying in a fine art study group (uran dsurgiin duguilan) in
the Mongolian Children’s Palace (Mongoliin khüükhdiin ordon) or then the Pioneers’
Palace (pioneriin ordon). Today, he claims that it was his destiny to meet his teacher
and become a Buddhist artist. However, he did not decide to become a monk. He
explains the reason:
“At that time, the perception of monks among the public was far (i.e. people were
not open to Buddhist monks). Monks could be taken for prisoners as they had
baldheads. Social thinking (niigmiin setgekhiii) was strange then. I felt embarrassed
telling people that I studied in a monk school (/amiin surguul’) located in Gandan.
I was saying that I studied art... I was shy and worried about what people would
say. I was not ready for that. At that time of democracy, everything was developing
outside there such as pubs, bars, rock and pop music, stars etc. When there sounded
modern music, one would love to go there. One could not go there in a monk’s
garment. Society did not allow me to enter into a monk’s life. We hold brushes
16 Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art: Cultural Warriors, Issue 1, 2006.
7 Byrne, Sue: Personal Recollections of the Revival of Buddhist Art after 1990: The Story of the ‘Rub¬
bish Monk.’ 2016, 6.
'8 Byrne, Sue: Personal Recollections ..., 6.
339