Losang Changchub, who once worked for an art museum in Namkhagyan's hometown in Luhuo county, a Tibetan area in Sichuan, began to learn Namkhagyan style of thangka painting from a lama in 1980.
He marvels at the master's technique of painting tiny figures, saying he has to use a magnifying glass to find the deities on Namkhagyan's scrolls.
For instance, there are almost 880 deities on Namkhagyan's 1.5-meter-high thangka work Nirvana.
Praising the master's effort, Losang Changchub says: "I think it's because at the time, the master could easily devote himself to painting and not get distracted by the outside world. It's very hard for us to do so now."
In ancient times, a good thangka painter had to be a knowledgeable and devout Buddhist.
He had to cleanse himself and did not consume garlic or shallots before painting.
During the painting process, thangka painters were also not allowed any contact with women.
As of now, Losang Changchub doesn't have any apprentice learning from him because he says young people may not be able to endure painting for three months to complete a small piece of thangka. Typically, a big piece can take several years to complete.
"It's said that it took a whole day for Namkhagyan to draw a single leaf," he says.
Also on display at the exhibition are about 60 other thangka paintings done in the Namkhagyan style by his successors from his hometown, where thangka painting techniques are passed from fathers to sons.
Song Bin, the organizer of the show, says the art of Namkhagyan's thangka has long been neglected due to its low exposure to the public.
Song is now preparing to set up a school in Luhuo county to allow more people learn Namkhagyan-style thangka.
If you go
9 am-5 pm, through Thursday. National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang'an Street, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.
