Pious paintings

Students can graduate from Zhang's school in six years.

Several talented and knowledgeable students, such as Zekyid, have started to express their own understandings of Buddhism through thangka paintings, Zhang says.

More than 400 of the 500 students who've studied at the school since its founding have jobs.

Those who haven't found other work are employed by the culture company Zhang opened in 2011.

The thangka exhibition was first staged in SkyMoca in 2011, and Zhang plans to hold it annually.

Her school's students also learn sculpting and other traditional Tibetan arts, such as embroidery and knitting.

She plans to organize an exhibition of bronze sculptures in 2013.

Three of the ongoing exhibition's painters are women.

Women are traditionally forbidden from thangka painting, as it was the sacred realm of monks.

One of these women, 18-year-old Sonam Shagmo, came to the school three years ago with her 20-year-old sister Dorjemtsho. "I thought only men could paint thangka, but after I studied it, I feel it's magical," she says.

Her piece displays Manjushri.

Thangka pieces have been growing in popularity outside of Tibetan areas in recent years.

But most works are low-grade reproductions, and authentic pieces are rare.

"Thangka paintings' commercialization has pushed them away from their origins as religious objects," Zhang says.

"The most traditional skills create the most beautiful paintings. But contemporary people ignore this."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.