Painting in Tibet was mainly confined to the country’s temples, and it was here that artists received their education. In addition to the common deities, quite a few local gods have been identified which are associated with new themes, landscapes and dress. The lower the position of the deity in the hierarchical order, the greater the freedom allowed the artist. Local deities included the gods of health, the earth and the protectors of the mountains. Tibet was also known for its many demons (more numerous than the human population!), and Lamaism set itself the task of subjugating these demons and obliging them to serve its own purposes. The representation of these demons was taken very seriously, and they are one of the most striking subjects in the monastery and temple paintings.

High in the mountains, in the dwelling-place of the gods, collections of statuettes made of painted clay by lay craftsmen have been found. They represent the successive visions surrounding the deceased who crosses the River Bardo to the world of the spirits. As in all its manifestations, Tibetan Lamaism differed from mainstream Buddhism; thus the architecture is specifically Tibetan in style. The monumental, heavy buildings rise up on the mountain sides, temples being positioned so that the sun’s rays first strike their gold-burnished roofs. Tibetan monasteries on the mountain tops are open to all the winds, defying enemies by their inaccessibility.

Other distinguishing features of Tibetan culture are the preservation and organic interweaving of shamanist traditions, the sacrifice of live animals and the construction of sacrificial altars (obos), made of piles of stones on mountain tops, where sacrifices were made to the ancestors and the lords of the mountains. One of the ancient images associated with the ancestor cult is a grey-haired old man, a character frequently depicted in Lamaist painting and sculpture.