What's the difference between Thangka and mural painting?

Thangka, also called Thangka, is a transliteration of Tibetan, which refers to a religious scroll painting mounted with colored satin and hung for worship. Thangka is a unique painting art form in Tibetan culture. Its theme covers Tibetan history, politics, culture, social life and many other fields, and it can be called an encyclopedia of Tibetan people. Thangka handed down from ancient times are mostly works of Tibetan Buddhism and Bonism.

Mural painting, the art on the wall, is a painting that people paint directly on the wall. As an accessory part of architecture, its decorative and beautifying function makes it an important aspect of environmental art, and mural painting is one of the earliest painting forms in human history.

Difference:

1. Thangka is Tibetan, and there are murals all over the world. Traditional Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist sculpture painting painted on the surface of relatively thin textiles. The pigments used are natural mineral pigments and plant pigments from Tibet, India, Nepal and other places. Murals are not limited to the use of themes, but are used in many places, and there is no difference in religious beliefs.

2. Thangka is mostly painted on colored satin, and murals are mostly painted on walls.

3. Murals are diverse in content and complex in subject matter, while Thangka mainly reflects Buddhist culture.