Tibetan Monk Going Home
Stamp print
One of Peter’s most inspired images represents a Tibetan Buddhist monk climbing a ladder to reach his cave high up in a Himalayan cliff. By not making the destination explicit, however, it suggests an ascent directly into heaven, the process of inner liberation from earthly cares that is the aim of monastic life. Made with the simplest of means – a single carved stamp for the figure, a rolling stamp, probably made from an old “typist’s eraser,” for the ropes of the ladder, and a torn brown paper bag to indicate the mountains – the method of its creation aptly reflects the spirit of the subject it depicts.
