Bhutanese paintings are an ancient art that has been practiced for many generations. Master painters are known as Lharips,and their work can be seen in the murals and frescoes inside the massive dzongs, temples, and monasteries.

A lhadrip also paints houses with traditional symbols, chosham (altar), thangka, or thongdroel (religious scrolls) with the images of Buddha and other deities. These religious paintings follow precise, symbolic econometric and iconographic rules codified in ancient treaties.

Another striking feature of Bhutanese paintings is anonymity. The lhadrips would never sign on their works and it is believed that the act of creating a religious painting earns great merit and should be done with a pure mind.

Natural pigmented soils are commonly found in Bhutan and used in Bhutanese paintings. Sa-Tshoen (soil pigments) are of different colours, namely black (sa—na), red (tag), and yellow (sa-ser).