Characteristics of Buddhist murals in Sui and Tang Dynasties: the design is centered on statues, surrounded by murals to create and contrast the atmosphere. Because the mural theme is self-contained and the composition is complete, it has formed its own independent style of the times.
The most common mural theme in the Northern Dynasties is Bunsen Story, which still has some manifestations in the Sui Dynasty. However, from a technical point of view, the composition of Bunsen stories is mostly in the form of horizontal comic strips, paying more attention to the detailed description in the background, which seems to indicate that the understanding of Buddhist stories is deepening.
The story of change is limited to the murals of the Northern Dynasties. For example, the murals of the Mogao Grottoes in the Northern Wei Dynasty are only Nirvana, Bodhi and demonization.
The change stories in the murals of Mogao Grottoes in the Sui Dynasty did not increase greatly, which was related to the short time of the founding of the Sui Dynasty, but it was an obvious fact that the change stories began to become complicated in composition. For example, in the "Nirvana Change" in Cave 295, the Nirvana master was lying on a rope bed, surrounded by disciples, and at the bottom of the picture were his wife and Bodhi. They could not accept the fact that the Buddha died and set himself on fire. Other disciples either dragged their clothes on their chests or patted their heads and pulled their hair, showing extremely painful emotions, which were not found in previous pictures.
The murals in the Tang Dynasty are mainly based on classic stories, with many classic themes, such as Pure Land, Vimo, Gratitude, Golden Eyes, Paradise, Maitreya Buddha, Diamonds, Huayan, Jinguangming, Benjing, Demonization, Nirvana and Lengjia.
Every "change" contains several "products", and each "product" is a complete and independent story.
Among the pure land changes, "Western pure land changes" are the most popular.
The change of pure land in the west is a popular saying of pure land Sect, and the change of pure land is a painting expression of popular saying.
The western pure land Sect emphasizes the pure land in the west as the destination. It is believed that if you want to obtain the qualification of pure land in the west, you can make contributions. The so-called "merit" is simply to recite the name of Buddha: there is no Amitabha in the south.
Pure Land Sect preaches that as long as the Buddha's name is recited or other merits are done, a lotus bud will be born in the pool of the pure land of western bliss, and believers who do merits will die in it.
This Buddhist paradise change is based on Amitabha Sutra, so it is also called Amitabha Sutra. Because "Amitabha" means "observing the Buddha with infinite longevity", it can also be called "observing the changes in the scriptures".
The happy ending of the story of "The Pure Land in the Western Heaven has changed" is the highlight of this proverb, which is often deliberately described in murals, so it has the element of "stylization".
Generally speaking, the center of the picture is the main Buddha sitting on the lotus seat, surrounded by Guanyin, Shi Zhi Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, Lux, French King and other gods.
There are geisha singing and dancing in front of the main Buddha, and there are many flying skies above the main Buddha.
In the background of the main Buddha, there are tall and magnificent pavilions. There are many lotus ponds at the bottom of the picture, some of which are in bud. There are bodhi trees and beautiful birds on the bank of the pond.
The composition of The Pure Land Change in the West is grand and rigorous. Basically, it is called the basic structure of antithesis, which visually highlights the position of the main Buddha, and the proportion of the main Buddha is also the largest. Guanyin and Bodhisattva on both sides are slightly smaller, and the protector and flying god are even smaller. This kind of position arrangement and proportion size, from the consciousness, is the embodiment of hierarchical concept, but from the art, it is also the need of composition.
"Pure Land Change in the West" has magnificent colors, a lot of red and green contrasts, and a mix of gold and black, and the atmosphere is quite warm. It perfectly embodies the rich and harmonious life tone of "Elysium".
Like other murals, The Change of Pure Land in the West is a kind of painting method of sketching and coloring, with even and round lines and smooth brushwork.
The comic theme of "sixteen views" and "no regrets" often appears on both sides of the screen of Pure Land Change in the West. The picture is concise and clear, in sharp contrast to the complex and rich "Pure Land Change in the West".
"Pure land" includes "pure land in the west" and "pure land in the east", which is also the theme appreciated by the Tang people.
The main Buddha of Pure Land Change of Oriental Pharmacists is the Oriental Pharmacist Buddha, and there are Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva around. There are also twelve medicine forks.
The composition of Pure Land Change of Oriental Pharmacists is roughly the same as that of Pure Land Change of the West, and both have grand scenes, as the scripture says:
Buddha's earth and glass are the ground, and the golden rope boundary road, the city palace pavilion and the porch window are all seven treasures. Just like the paradise in the west, there is no difference.
But many things it draws are closely related to real life. For example, there are "Nine Sudden Deaths" and "Twelve Wishes" on both sides of Jingbian, which were the most concerned contents in social life at that time:
"Nine sudden deaths" are accidental drug deaths, king slaughter, drunken drunken deaths, fire deaths, drowning deaths, animal deaths, cliff deaths, hunger and thirst deaths, and ghost deaths.
Twelve wishes are twelve beautiful wishes, such as adequate food and clothing, painless illness, saving lives, turning women into men, getting rid of punishment and so on.
"Pure Land Change of Oriental Pharmacists" claims that believing in Buddha as a pharmacist can avoid "nine sudden deaths" and get "twelve wishes". Some "Pure Land Change of Oriental Pharmacists" provide the audience with dozens of prescriptions outside the picture, which shows that it is quite practical.
Maitreya Pure Land Change is also a popular story since Wu Zetian came to power.
The composition of Maitreya Pure Land Sect is basically the same as that of Western Pure Land Sect. As the main Buddha, Maitreya holds his knees in his left hand and speaks with his right hand. At the bottom of the picture, there is a story of a Brahman tearing down a tower.
The whole picture shows Maitreya's path from birth to becoming a monk in turn, as well as the peaceful and stable life scene of Maitreya's world, with plenty of food and clothing, no way to meet, and no door closed at night.
"Golden Eye Change" is based on the content of Lotus Sutra, with a total of 28 works, of which the twenty-fifth work, Pumenpin, is the most suitable for creation. Its content is to publicize the story of Guanyin's thirty-two incarnation to save the twelve disasters, and it is often used as a creative theme alone, indicating that the image of "helping the poor and saving the world" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people at that time.
"Hokkekyo Change" arranges irrelevant content on a wall, with hills, trees and running water as intervals. For example, the "popular goods" in the "critical changes" in Cave 45 tells the reason why Guanyin saved the twelve disasters. The upper part is surrounded by two hills, and six businessmen are facing three robbers with knives. There are unloaded bags on the ground, silk belongings are piled on the ground, and there are a lot of titles on the red background at the top of the picture. The general idea is: "Don't be afraid of a good man, you should be single-minded." If you are a celebrity and complain about thieves here, you will be at ease. "
Later, "many businessmen said: there is no avalokitesvara in the south, calling it liberation."
Outside the hill in the lower right corner of the picture is a prison with a scowling criminal inside. There are two people outside the prison gate, and the list is in the middle. The general idea is that if criminals keep chanting "South China Guanyin Bodhisattva", they can be freed in time.
"Wei Mo Bian" was quite popular in the Tang Dynasty, with more than 30 shops in the Mogao Grottoes.
There are three versions of Vimo Bian, and Zhi Qian's translation lists fourteen products:
First, buddhist supplies; Second, the right is good; Third, disciple products; Fourth, Bodhisattva products; Fifth, the text of various laws; Sixth, incredible products; Seven, viewing people's items; Eight, if you come; Nine, do not enter the product; X. Fragrant products; Xi。 Bodhisattva products; Twelve, look at Acheng Buddha products; Thirteen. Legally issued; Fourteen, inform tired Maitreya products.
Roche's translation is:
First, buddhist supplies; Second, convenient products; Third, disciple products; Fourth, Bodhisattva products; Five, manjusri teacher asked sick products; Sixth, incredible products; 7. Audience products; 8. Buddhism and Taoism; Nine, into the second door; X. Fragrant products; Xi。 Bodhisattva products; Twelve, look at Acheng Buddha products; Thirteen. Legally issued; Fourteen, inform the tired goods.
Xuanzang's translation is:
First, the preface; Second, it is incredible, convenient and skillful; Third, audio-visual products; Fourth, Bodhisattva products; Fifth, ask sick products; Sixth, incredible products; Seven, the concept of all beings; Eight, bodhi products; Nine, the best way; X. Fragrant products; Xi。 Bodhisattva products; Twelve, the view is like a product; Thirteen. Legally issued; Fourteen, inform the tired products.
According to Vimalakīrti Classics, Vimalakīrti lay man was originally an outstanding intellectual from the great city of Pierre, also known as a net lay man. In order to let people know Buddhism thoroughly, show the appearance of diseases, attract tourists from all over the world to ask about their illness, and also popularize the law to the public on this topic.
Knowing Vimo's original intention, the Buddha prepared to send his great disciple Sharifutsu Su and others to ask Vimo questions. Sharifutsu paid attention to Vimo's eloquence and knew that he was no match, so he begged the Buddha.
The Buddha also asked Maitreya to ask about Vimo's illness, but Maitreya and other bodhisattvas refused to go for the same reason.
All the above are the contents of disciples and bodhisattvas in Vimalakīrti.
When the Buddha asked Manjusri Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva obeyed, even though he knew Vimo was "profound in reality and eloquent".
Manjushri is also an eloquence among Buddhist disciples, putting wisdom first. When I go to Vimalakīrti this time, there is bound to be a profound Buddhist debate, so thousands of people, such as Bodhisattva disciples and Buddha kings, followed Manjusri to Pierre, where Vimalakīrti lived, and left the city.
The content of this debate is the part described in "incredible products" and "entering the Tao"
Vimalakīrti frescoes in the Tang Dynasty all took Moon Hee Pin as the performance center, and summarized the related contents of other products around Moon Hee, which made the picture rich in characters, plots, composition and so on.
In the picture, Vimo sat opposite Manjusri, surrounded by the world bodhisattvas, kings, kings and ministers who followed Manjusri.
Above the Vimalakīrti, there are three teachers' seats, which are described in the incredible products:
At that time, the elder Vimalakīrti asked Manjusri: "A benevolent person swims in a billion monk countries, and what a wonderful place to be a teacher." Manjusri Shi Liyan said: "The layman, a sand country in the Ganges River at 36 degrees in the east, has a world-famous sumeru phase, and the Buddha's name is Sumeru Lamp King. Today, the Buddha is 84,000 years long, and its teacher seat is 84,000 years high, which is the first in strict decoration. " So old Vimalakīrti showed his magic power, and immediately the Buddha sent 32,000 disciples of Gao Yan into the Vimalakīrti room, and the four great kings and other great disciples of bodhisattvas were unprecedented. Its spacious room contains 32,000 teachers' seats without any obstacles. It was not forced to leave the city and Jambu-Di^pa for four days, and people knew it was the same.
Before Vimalakīrti, there was a bodhisattva holding a bowl and kneeling before the bed, which was the content of "incense":
So the incense accumulated like Buddha, all the incense vessels turned into bodhisattvas, a bowl of fragrant rice ... Bodhisattva was turned into a bowl of rice, and all the adults accepted the imperial edicts of Buddha and Vimalakīrti, and he came to Vimalakīrti temporarily.
Behind Vimalakīrti, there is also a small Vimalakīrti, which is the story of "seeing Buddha's accumulation":
At that time, the public was eager to see the wonderful music world, A Chun Tathagata and his adults. So Vimalachi Bodhisattva thought: I should stop this teacher from sitting still, because the wonderful music world is full of mountains and rivers, valleys, rivers and seas, Mount Sumi, the sun, the moon and stars, Gong Fan, the Dragon God's Temple, and all the disciples of the Bodhisattva. The national city market is full of lotus flowers where the people's kings, Tathagata and their Taoist trees sit, and they walk in ten places and their three treasures. Vimalakīrti is eager to rejoice in all meetings, which means that his image is full of Samadhi, standing in front of everyone in the teacher's seat, holding the wonderful music world in his right hand and enduring the earth.
It can be seen that this figurine is Vimalakīrti's illusion of "the man among the Samoans" and "breaking the beautiful and happy world".
There is also a flower girl between Vimal Buddhist and Manjusri Bodhisattva. This plot is in The Audience's Life:
At that time, there was a girl in Vimalakīrti's room. When she met the adults and listened to what she said, she showed herself, that is, she scattered flowers to the disciples of the Bodhisattva.
When China reached all the Bodhisattvas, they all fell. Even the biggest disciple refused to surrender. All disciples went to China with divine power and could not be ordered to go.
At that time, Sharifutsu was asked: Why did you go to China?
A: This China is not as good as the law, so it is necessary to leave.
Tiandao: Don't say that Huawei is not as good as France. What is that? There is no difference between China and the benevolent. If you become a monk in Buddhism, it is not as good as Buddhism. If there is no difference, just like the law. Those who can't see the Bodhisattva in China have lost all thoughts. For example, when people are afraid, non-humans will get it. If a disciple fears life and death, color, sound and fragrance touch him. Without fear, people can't do anything about the five desires, and those who don't learn enough don't learn enough.
Next to Manjusri Bodhisattva, there is a monk, that is, Sharifutsu, the great disciple of "The class is not finished, but his ears are on".
Vimalakīrti practiced at home, was eloquent and intelligent, and was impressed by the great power of Manjusri Bodhisattva. This story has been appreciated by scholars since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, especially its eloquent ability, which is highly praised by scholars who advocate talking clearly. Within the scope of literati, Vimo lay people are taken as bosom friends.
The main part of the composition of Vimalakīrti shows Vimalakīrti sitting on the couch, far away from Manjusri who greeted him. This composition had a chalk book at that time, and it had the same basic program as the composition of Pure Land Change.
After the basic scheme is determined, the specific description will have its own characteristics in terms of shape (opening) modeling, brushwork performance, color treatment and so on according to the different levels of artists. Therefore, when the same theme appears and the basic procedures are similar, the image of Vimo laymen is similar.
Both Cave 220 and Cave 103 have murals of "Vimobian" in the Tang Dynasty.
In modeling, the two are basically the same, sitting on the sofa, propping up on one knee, holding the knee with the left hand, holding the tail with the right hand, leaning forward slightly, frowning, and opening your mouth to make an argument.
But in details, the two sides are different. Vimalakīrti of Cave 220 holds the hand of the tail, with the index finger and the little finger sticking out; 103 Vimalakīrti of Cave reached out his forefinger and middle finger to grab the tail; On closer examination, there are subtle differences in mental state between the two sides. The Vimo Buddhists in Cave 220 have round and prominent eyes and wrinkled eyebrows. In addition to his eloquent manners, he has an aggressive attitude.
In contrast, the Vimo Buddhists in Cave 103 have deep eyes and frown, but they are relaxed, calm and confident. It is a kind of Kan Kan and carefree modality, and its image expression is quite implicit.
There are also great differences in playing techniques between the two sides.
The murals in Cave 220 are mainly colored. The process of drawing is to draw an outline with ink lines first, and then color along the outline. In the cuffs, curtains and other parts of clothes, first give dark colors along the line, give light colors to similar parts, or apply white. When the color is not dry, draw more strokes at the junction of dark and light colors to make the color change in depth.
The face of the character is given light skin color at the forehead, upper eyelid, bridge of nose and lower jaw, and the rest parts are given heavy skin color, and the cheeks are lightly dyed with vermilion, and then rendered to make the tone smooth. After coloring, sketch the outline of the five senses again, and the lips are stained with vermilion.
Because of the change of color depth, the image has a certain sense of bump.
The "Vimo Change" in Cave 103 is another painting method. Basically, it is based on line drawing and local coloring. As far as the image of Vimo lay man is concerned, it seems to be only the reproduction of the original powder edition. The ink color is mainly light ink and heavy ink, and the five senses only use eyebrows, eyes and nostrils. Use heavy ink for both hands, and give a little reminder on the basis of light ink.
The colored parts are just Vimo's green badge and red robe.
In the murals of the Mogao Grottoes, there are also some pictures that are only "sketched" and not painted. For example, the curtain above the "Vimalakīrti" in Cave 103, there are also lions and auspicious clouds, which are drawn with lines, and the upper and lower reds are all drawn, leaving only the Mercedes-Benz lions.
Similarly, Vimalakīrti's couch has basically been drawn, and only the face and underwear, hands and feet are still "sketching". It is possible that this is also an unfinished painting (according to the rules of the folk painter industry, the colors of the less important parts of the picture are all done by apprentices or inexperienced craftsmen, and the opening and coloring of the main characters must be done by the master. )
But judging from the colored parts, such as the red robe worn by Vimalakīrti, the folding line of the clothes has been re-checked, and the color is "flat painting", so there is no rendering factor. For this reason, the painting method should be cross painting and flat painting.
Generally speaking, the murals in the Tang Dynasty attach great importance to the rendering of atmosphere, and the spiritual activities of the characters are the key objects of expression, which is also prominent in the "Nirvana Change" map of Cave 158.
The "Nirvana Change" in Cave 158 is mainly manifested in the disciples' inability to accept the death of the Buddha, resulting in various painful actions.
There is a group of five people on the left side of the picture, with their mouths open in the middle and their hands in the air, making a gesture of pouncing on the Buddha. He grabbed his chest left and right, and the front one held out his hands as a stop. After that, he grabbed his chest with one hand and raised his fist with the other, all of which were images of grief.
On the right side of the picture, there is a man holding a long sword and stabbing himself in the chest. Above him, a man stabbed himself in the chest with a dagger in each hand. On their upper left, there was another man tearing his ear in one hand and chopping with a dagger in the other. These crazy self-mutilation behaviors all show that believers can't act subconsciously under extreme mental trauma, thus rendering the tragic atmosphere of the picture.
Different from the previous generation of Nirvana, in front of the grieving crowd on the left side of the picture, there is a monk sitting on the ground with his eyes closed slightly, holding his knees in one hand and his ears in the other, thoughtfully.
This monk should be Xu Baduoluo. According to the fourth volume of Dragon Agama, he was a Brahmin scholar, who attended the last lecture on Buddhism before Sakyamuni died, and was also the last disciple of Sakyamuni. The "Nirvana Change" in Cave 158 is calm, and seems to turn a deaf ear to the voices of the disciples around him, still immersed in the aftertaste of the Buddhism he heard.
This arrangement of details in the composition shows that the frescos in the Tang Dynasty are very familiar with the specific changes and are good at using some details to strengthen the portrayal of the inner activities of the characters, so as to make the picture rich and vivid and better highlight the atmosphere of the picture.
The story of the picture change is complete, and the mural artist can capture several key plots in the whole story and show them, which not only makes the picture composition simple and clear, but also makes the plot cohesion compact.
For example, the mural of "The Change of Maitreya Buddha" is based on "Viewing the Living Sutra of Maitreya Buddha and Bodhisattva", saying that Maitreya Buddha will go to heaven in his previous life, that is, the pure land of Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Bodhisattva once gave alms to Brahmins with the Seven Treasure Platforms presented by the wheel holy king, but Brahmins took down the Seven Treasure Platforms and divided them up. Maitreya Bodhisattva disappeared in the blink of an eye when she saw the intact Qibaotai, thus realizing the true meaning of "nothing", and became a Buddha under the Longhua tree in Hualin Garden.
The Tang Dynasty's "Maitreya Change" depicts the Brahman tearing down the Qibaotai at the bottom of the screen, grasping the important details that prompted Maitreya Bodhisattva to rethink and gain enlightenment, and played a finishing touch in composition.
In addition, the story of "repay a kindness for a bad friend" in Cave 85 is tortuous and complicated, to the effect that two brothers, a good friend and a bad friend, went out for treasure hunting. In order to take possession of the Mani Baozhu found by my brother's good friend, my evil friend took advantage of it, blinded his eyes, snatched the Baozhu, and lied to the king's father that my brother was dead.
But Sun You didn't die. He made a living by beating Zheng. In Lishibao Township, Shanyou met a princess who had been engaged since childhood. When the princess heard Zheng's voice, she could not give up. In the end, she married a good friend despite her father's objection, but at this time she didn't know that her husband was a good friend. Later, when she knew his true identity, his eyes recovered, and his evil friend was punished and put in prison. After the Shanyou couple returned to China, they got the orb and used the magic of the orb to make the people rich and healthy.
Muralist chooses the typical plot in the story, gives a brief explanation and outlines the story process.
The "bad friend" in Cave 85 drew two people sitting opposite each other in an almost freehand way. The person sitting face to face is a good friend, and the princess sitting opposite is a teacher and a postscript country. Sketch the shape with a few lines of light ink. Shanyou's coat is lake blue, and the lapels and cuffs are green. The princess wore a purple crown, a purple coat and Hulan cuffs. There are two shady trees in the distance as the background, and the color is very quiet.
The composition of the picture is not complicated, but a few strokes are very expressive. By listening to the Zheng, the inner feelings of the princess and her friends are expressed tactfully, which makes the picture have a romantic lyrical atmosphere and a strong life atmosphere.
In the murals of the Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty, individual statues of bodhisattvas are also popular, all of which are graceful, well-proportioned, beautiful in face and gentle and generous in expression.
There are seventy-one caves in Miss Bodhisattva as his masterpiece. Sitting on the lotus seat, the bodhisattva, with one hand on her knee and one hand covering her face, has a tall arch eyebrow and eyes full of spring breeze. It seems that she suddenly realized something in the meditation of Buddhism, and her expression is quite beautiful.
The Bodhisattva of Thinking in Cave 148 is simple, but full of concentration and meditation.
The "Buddha offering" in the Tang Dynasty is also very beautiful. There is a small Buddha in Cave 220, with his legs kneeling on the lotus seat and a lotus in his hands. His skin color is ochre red, his eyebrows are high, his nose is straight, and he has the appearance of a South Indian.
This offering is natural and pious, with a rounded and slightly shorter arc to outline the skin, which makes the flesh and blood image stop evenly, plump and handsome, and full of youthful vitality.
The image of "flying" in the murals of the Tang Dynasty is lively and agile.
Tian Fei, also known as "God of Sweetness", is regarded by some as "Gandahl Wa", one of the music gods of eight sects, and widely appears in murals. From the appearance of murals in the Northern Dynasties to the murals in the Tang Dynasty, its image and dynamics have a trend of continuous improvement.
In the Northern Wei Dynasty, there was often only one ribbon flying in the sky, mostly sitting sideways or flying down, with a so-called "little face".
In the Sui Dynasty, the number of flying banners increased, and most of them were prone, and some of them had thin faces and small whiskers.
In the early Tang dynasty, the flying belt was lengthened, the ribbon was enlarged, and it was free to roll and full of changes. In addition to flying down, there are many movements such as flying up and down, and the face tends to be full, with delicate eyes and full of vitality.
In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the "Five Dynasties when the wind prevailed" was very dynamic, and the posture increased with sitting upside down, vertical upside down and horizontal flying, which made them Qi Fei and echoed each other. Their faces are plump, their eyes are slender, their bodies are beautiful, and their bodies are flexible. There are many kinds of flowers or utensils in their hands. Some of them just raise their hands and throw them, commonly known as "the goddess scattered flowers".
From the mid-Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the streamers became shorter again, and in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the streamers became weaker and weaker, and their postures became bigger and bigger, and they were not smart enough, and their spirits disappeared, so that they were no longer magnificent in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
The theme of "provider" in the murals of the Tang Dynasty is also eye-catching.
The sponsor is a real person. After spending money to build caves, they painted their own statues on the walls. All the statues in the cave are their "sustenance" and a kind of "merit".
Supporters were generally only a few inches tall in the Northern Dynasties, and gradually rose to a few feet in the Tang Dynasty until they were equal to strangers.
Because the portrait of the provider is a realistic description of the characters, clothes and costumes are different from statues and have the characteristics of the times. The statue of the patron saint of the Tang Dynasty in Cave 329 is a young woman kneeling on the carpet with her hands on her knees, wearing a white narrow-cuff round neck shirt and a long skirt. His eyebrows are thick and long, with few details, his face is plump and slightly rouge, and his expression is serene and calm.
Laoting has a sacrificial statue in Cave 130. Laoting wears a soft hoe, a round neck robe and a censer on his belt, indicating that he is a nobleman. Behind him is his son, well-dressed and conscientious.
The other group is a portrait of the supporting crowd led by Mrs. Laoting inlay.
Mrs. Le, Taiyuan Wang, with a high bun and many flowers, a long skirt, a shawl and a corolla shoe. Round face, imposing, rich and graceful. The ladies' costumes are extremely gorgeous and colorful, and they are all "beautiful and fat".
Laoting is inlaid with a dignitary, and the support image is much bigger. The small one is exactly the same as a stranger, and the big one is eight or nine feet high.
In the Tang dynasty, there was a grand scene description of diners' portraits. Zhang Yichao's travel map in Cave 156 shows the travel scene of Tang Xuanzong who surrendered to the rebel army in the fifth year (85 1) and guarded Zhang Yichao in Dunhuang. This cave was dug by Zhang Yichao's nephew.
The tourist map of Zhang Yichao and his wife is120cm high and1640cm long. There are cavalry queues up and down the picture, with Zhang and his wife riding in the middle. There are 257 people in the whole picture, and the scene is quite grand.
The story of "prison, fork, fight and winning the border" was popular in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.
Sharifutsu, a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, and the "lonely old man" are opposed to building a fine house, asking them to compete with each other and decide whether to build a fine house by winning or losing. So the two sides reached a high position and began to fight the law. As a result, six foreign teachers were defeated, all of them became monks and converted to Buddhism, and the refined house was established.
The composition in the mural is very rich, the plot is compact, and the fighting scene is warm and fascinating. Moreover, some dynamic descriptions are also quite wonderful, exaggerated and true, which is a rare masterpiece among the large murals of the Five Dynasties.
The statue of the Five Dynasties is the largest in the Mogao Grottoes. This is the statue of Li Shengtian, the king of Khotan in Cave 98, and his post-Cao Shi.
The main supporter, King Khotan, is nearly three meters tall, and the proportion is basically correct. Wearing a crown, a censer in one hand, flowers in the other, and a fist-shaped sword around his waist, he is a big man with a kind face and a very gentle expression. The inscription on the previous list reads: "The great dynasty of Tian Zi the Great was a great treasure", which shows the extraordinary position of the provider.
The statues of the Five Dynasties' patrons are huge in specifications, but the details of their clothes are clear without disorder, the colors are elegant without flashy, and the brushwork is calm and smooth, which shows that although the mural art of the Five Dynasties is a spent force compared with the prosperous Tang Dynasty and tends to be dull in spiritual shaping, it still has a considerable foundation in depicting basic skills.
Postscript: Khan, I'm sorry, it took a lot of effort to find it, but an article on one-sided beans elaborated it in detail and systematically.