Printmaking in Bhutan
prayer flags at Trongsa Dzong
This past July, I was fortunate to travel to the Himalayan country of Bhutan. This beautiful, but tiny country, only opened to foreigners in 1974. Visitors, while not restricted in number, are granted visas only for the exact length of their stay and pay a steep daily fee for the privilege of visiting. But what a privilege it is! The country has no heavy industry and has carefully controlled the use and development of its natural resources. The native culture has been preserved and is evident daily in the dress of the people. Gorgeous Buddhist monasteries are scattered throughout the country. I could easily go on.
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Relief block with inking equipment
It is through the Buddhist religion that one encounters printmaking in the country; there is no tradition of “fine art” printmaking in Bhutan. Instead, one finds prayer flags and printed “books” of scriptures. The books are not bound. They are long, loose sheets of paper, printed on both sides that are used by the monks and nuns during the chanting of scriptures.
printed scriptures
The printing was, and still is, done with hand carved wood blocks onto either paper or cloth. Wealthier homes would have their own supply of blocks with prayers or scriptures that were available for use by those in the surrounding vicinity. The inks were made of soot, a local type of alcoholic drink, molasses and glue and applied with a rudimentary roller. These were then pressed by hand or with a simple screw type press on the paper or cloth. Basic, yes, but it did the job. Of course, the technique of carving a block, inking the block and pressing the image onto the substrate is the same basic technique that is practiced throughout the world today.
Monks using printed scriptures
