Tsangpa Choying Gyatso

CHINA, Tibet, Shigatse

Tsangpa Choying Gyatso was a monk and artist who was proficient in painting and sculpture. The Mentang school style served as his foundation, and he intermixed the characteristics of the Karma Gadri and Khyentse schools, along with the essence of Chinese painting to create his own style called the New Menri school.
Choying Gyatso worked under the Fourth Panchen Lama of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and was appointed the palace painter. During the construction of Tashilhunpo Monastery, he was responsible for the design and production of the sculptures and murals. He was also highly regarded by the Fifth Dalai Lama, who entrusted him with the design and painting of thangkas and murals in the Potala Palace and other important monasteries in Lhasa. His lucid and lively use of colors aided in his portrayal of the physical and spiritual essence of the figures being depicted.
Works by Choying Gyatso can be found in Tashilhunpo Monastery and Potala Palace. His most significance works at Tashilhunpo Monastery include the mural Life of the Buddha - Miracle at Sravasti, and the Fourth Panchen Lama painting.