Mogao mural paintings

All the murals in the Mogao Grottoes linked together could amount to 25 km. The murals in the Mogao Grottoes display Buddhist sutras, natural scenery, buildings, mountains and water paintings, flower patterns, flying Apsaras (Buddhist fairies) and ancient farming and production scenes. There are 1,045 murals, with a total area of 45,000 sq. m. They are artistic records of historical changes and customs and traditions from the 4th to the 18th centuries.

The murals not only embodied the features of Chinese culture, but those of ancient Indian, Greek, and Iranian culture.

The Dunhuang murals can be divided into the following classes:

Buddha Figures: They refer to all kinds of gods and spirits, such as Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the Buddha Guards worshipped by Buddhists. In the grottoes alone there are 12,208 figures of Buddha with different expressions and postures.

Jingbian Paintings: They refer to an art form that employs paintings and literature to make the abstract Buddha sutra easy to understand. A drawing that explains abstract sutra is called bianxiang, and the method of explaining the sutra with words and singing is called bianwen.

Legendary Mural: Its subject matters are traditional Chinese legends, which refer to the contents or subjects of Taoist thought appearing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). Taoist influence on articles in Buddha grottoes reflects the combination of Buddhist meditative absorption and Taoist xujing (quiet and calm). It is also the influence of Buddhist thought and art on Chinese culture.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.