Arts and sciences. A personal perspective of Tibetan painting

Abstract

The relationship between the arts and the sciences is discussed from the standpoint of a scientist and passionate art lover. The two playgrounds of human creativity have much in common and have cross-fertilized each other over centuries. An active involvement in an artistic discipline can stimulate scientific creativity by direct analogy and by emotional and intellectual experience. The excitement of a scientist for the arts is exemplified by the author's adventures in Tibetan painting. The scientific study of Tibetan thangkas is discussed by examples from the author's collection. The analysis of pigments and the dating of the paintings are covered. In addition, some background information on the historical and iconographic context is given.