By Daniel Fulco, Ph.D., Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator

To mark the special exhibition Art, Fashion, Symbol, Statement: Tattooing in America, 1960s to Today (on view through October 13, 2024),we hope that you enjoy this painting in our collection. If you visit the museum, this work is on view in the exhibition.

Unknown (Tibetan)
Thangka, Mahakala (Black Demon with other Deities), 19th–early 20th century
Gouache on canvas
26 9/16″ H x 16 1/2″ W
Collection of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Richard F. Driscoll, A3545,00.0005
 
A thangka is a type of Tibetan Buddhist painting made on cotton or silk appliqué (or canvas), usually depicting a deity, spirit, or mandala. Often, these works are used for personal meditation or the education of monastic students. In this example, mahakala, a protector deity and demon of Vajrayana Buddhism (associated with time, creation, destruction, and power), stands in a vibrant landscape surrounded by other bodhisattvas (seated above) and spirits (left, right, and below). In Buddhism, bodhisattvas (Sanskrit: “awakening beings”) are divine entities on the path to becoming Buddhas and who assist living beings in attaining nirvana (enlightenment). Depicted fearsomely in elaborate garb with mighty flames in his hair and behind him, mahakala is adorned with eight human skulls (symbolizing death and the transformation of poison into wisdom). In addition, he holds a trisula (trident) and rosary in his right hand, and grasps a snake in his left (which he also bites), representative of the purification of anger.
 
Thangkas like this example have inspired tattoo artist and printmaker, Don Ed Hardy, whose work (see first example below) is on display in the exhibition Art, Fashion, Symbol, Statement: Tattooing in America, 1960s to Today. In this lively etching (lent by the de Young Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), Hardy depicted a tattooed half-man, half-beast set against a geometric maze and preparing to fight against an unseen enemy. The character’s pose and costume exhibit the influence of Tibetan or Nepalese Buddhist art. Like the deity mahakala (both a protector and demon) portrayed in the thangka from the museum’s collection (shown above), Hardy’s creature wears elaborate garb and extends its arms upward and downward diagonally. However, instead of holding mahakala’s sacred attributes, Hardy substituted a boxing glove on the figure’s right hand, an addition that complements the work’s title and references sports and popular culture.    
 
For these etchings, Hardy produced several working proofs (impressions taken at any stage in the making of a print edition to check quality and impact). In an earlier version, the artist created a basic drawing in black while in the alternate sheet (on display in the exhibition) he added blue and more decorative details. The final print is richly colored and shows the creature with an intricately detailed, tattooed body. On the beast’s decorative sash, note Hardy’s addition of a motif derived from Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic woodblock print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831, see below), which reflects his lifelong interest in Japanese art.

Don Ed Hardy (American, b. 1945)
Paul Mullowney (American, b. 1960) (printer)
Working proof 2 for Blue Boy Gets Physical, 1994
Color etching, printed in black and blue inks
31 1/8 x 23 1/4 in.
Collection of de Young Legion of Honor Fine Arts, Museums of San Francisco
Gift of the artist, 2017.46.81

Working proof 1 for Blue Boy Gets Physical, 1994
Etching printed in black ink on paper
Collection of de Young Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Blue Boy Gets Physical, 1995
Colored etching on paper
Collection of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, c. 1760–1845)
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831
Color woodblock print; ink on paper
Collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY