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CREATING MONGOL DSURAG AND RE-CREATING BUDDHIST ART TRADITION IN MONGOLIA
The access to Buddhist art differs among believers from cheap copies, mainly
made in China, to high-guality masterpieces depending on their affordability, artistic
feeling, taste, and individual attitudes. Generally, Buddhist art productions or forms
of deities (shiiteen) are divided into three forms. First is the imagery deity / divinity
(lagshin shiiteen) which includes thangka paintings and sculptures. The second one
called textual divinity (dsarligiin shiiteen) includes sitras and sacred texts. The third
is grace divinity (taalliin shiiteen) represented by stiipas. According to D. Ukhaan¬
dsaya, believers could choose different art productions due to their possibilities:
“The condition of buying these three types of deities are relatively different. Those
who can afford to buy old masterpieces with consecration [janlawtai]. They are
quite expensive. Those who are able can also have deities made by professional
artists. Those who cannot afford buy copies with low quality and bad iconography
[tig muutai] from China. Believers and temples can ask professional artists to make
clay figures. Depending on the knowledge of the “art of creating’ [urlakhui ukhaan],
people have different attitudes.” (D. Ukhaandsaya, Interview, Ulaanbaatar, July
2015)
However, it contradicts with the belief that spiritual power or religious efficacy would
not exist in incorrectly and distastefully depicted deities. D. Tulga and D. Ukhaan¬
dsaya as former students of Lama G. Pürewbat followed their teacher’s style of
Buddhist painting with individual nuances.
Artists of Mongol Dsurag such as Khosbayar Narankhiiii (Fig. 1-2.) and Magsariin
Chinbat use the traditionally techniques of thankga painting, which with time had
been formed into a “national” form of painting style, adding their personal specific
style. M. Chinbat, studied Mongol Dsurag at the former Institute for Fine Arts at the
Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture (the present Fine Art Academy)
from 1997 to 2002 and taught Mongol Dsurag for 14 years. He also works as the head
of the Mongol Dsurag Society. Lately Mongolian artists who take their inspiration
of both Buddhist thangka painting and Mongol Dsurag which they “modernise” for
their work by adding current topics such as globalisation, cultural identity, gender
and environmental issues or capitalism became internationally known.
Boldiin Nomin (or Nomin Bold) is a young artist, who is successful in her way
of representing modern themes with traditional painting techniques. The main topic
that she deals with is the internal conflicts with her own identity as a woman. She
mainly uses Buddhist imageries as well as female representations in her artworks.
Her works are rich of detailed references and symbols. Nomin describes how she
uses images of Buddhist deities in her work:
“T use them as symbols. Each deity has a meaning, a story or legend. For example,
there is a deity benevolent for children. I use these symbolic meanings. I do not
use them in a religious sense.” (B. Nomin, Interview, Ulaanbaatar, 19 September,
2019)
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