Drepung Lubum

CHINA, Qinghai, Huangnan

Drepung Lubum Geshe was a Tibetan painter from Amdo, Rebkong (present day Tongren, Huangnan). He earned his Geshe degree in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. Drepung was a talented painter whose works were said to be so realistic that a domestic cat once mistook the rat in one of his paintings for real. Copies of his painting of Dhrtarastra Heavenly King of the East are still in circulation today.
Drepung’s painting style was majestic and rich, his figurative works appear sturdy and full with strong yet harmoniously contrasting colors. His most notable works include Four Heavenly Kings on the portico of the central hall in Drepung Monastery, in addition to several thangkas featuring images such as the Eighteen Arhats and Prabhavaguna Bodhisattva.