Situ Panchen
- See also :
- See also :
Situ Panchen (full name Situ Panchen Chögyi Jungney) (1700-1774), also known as the 8th Tai Situ Rinpoche, was an influential Tibetan painter, writer and medical innovator as well as a notable figure in the histories of Karma Kagyu and the Kingdom of Dêgê, where he served as senior court chaplain. A student of Katok Tsewang Norbu, Situ Panchen is known for his role in the non-sectarian Rime movement of Tibetan Buddhism, as he was instrumental in helping in the growing acceptance of Zhentong; according to 2003's The Budda from Dolpo, "in the end it would be Situ more than anyone who would create the environment for the widespread acceptance of the Zhentong theories in the next century.
As a painter, Situ Panchen acknowledged the influence of Chinese artists, utilizing not only color and form common to their work but also setting.
An exhibition of Situ Panchen's work, accompanied by a conference related to him, was staged by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City in 2009; the exhibition was scheduled to run from February 6 – August 17, 2009. Presentations at the two-day conference included focus on such topics as Situ Panchen's influence on monastic art as far as the Yunnan Province, his influence in the field of medicine and his impact on sectarian monastic relations in Dêgê.
