Tibetan Thangas in Costa Rica – A Danish man living in Costa Rica.

Ulf Baungaard is one of the few European painters that still creates these paintings in the traditional way.

In January 1966, a young man from Denmark left his little country with just one thought on his mind, to learn about the Buddhist philosophy and to study the painting of Tibetan Thangas.

His ideas were a little far out for the time. Many people thought that he was totally crazy and did not believe that he would succeed in the magnificent and mystic Himalayan mountains of Nepal.

However the young man known as ‘Fut’ to his friends soon started to amaze many of them because of his dedication and patience.

The reason why he left his country started to make sense, not only to his friends but also for the rest of the community where he lived. Ulf went to live in the mountains with his teachers, both spiritual and artistic; their families gave him a home for 14 years while he was dedicated to learn the art and philosophy of painting Tibetan Thangas.

Ulf did not only learn to paint these magnificent master pieces of Buddhist art, but he also became one of them. His life has been concentrated in the creation of paintings of this kind. Nowadays, his work has been admired by many people who value and understand the meaning of these paintings.

He is one of the best in Europe because he follows the old traditional Tibetan techniques, using natural pigments. The preparation of the thanga itself is essential for him. His work demands a lot of meditation and every brush struck is finely drawn with high accuracy.

The final result is a piece of art that inspires tranquility and makes you think about life and death, the good and the bad, the sacred and the evil, everything in the dual world, each symbol in the painting has its meaning.

Ulf is living in Costa Rica. He says, “Here in this country, I have found the peace and the right environment that I need to create my art. I have been inspired by the nature, the peace and tranquility of this country.”

For eight years he lived in Venezuela where he met his wife Crucita, and then they moved back to Denmark. After 12 years they decided to leave that country again since they did not like the weather, the high cost of living and Ulf wanted to concentrate on his painting.

He made some research on the internet and found the page that inspired him to do this change, www.WeLoveCostaRica.com. He is thankful to Scott Oliver for this, and for his Website with his valuable advice and information. It helped a lot.

Written by Teresa González C. de Baungaard, a Venezuelan woman living in Costa Rica.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.