The Study Of The Horse Images In The Mogao Caves From The Northern Dynasty To Tang Dynasty

Before mechanical power arises,the horses play an extremely important role in the sociallife,such asmilitary and wars,cultivation and animal husbandry,transportation and communication,contact closely with humanity.Therefore,the horses became an significant theme of literature and artistic works from physical level to spirituallevel.By studying horses' images,we can dig out ancients' social life and consciousness through various epochandnation.There are multitudinous horses images in the Mogao Caves,from Northern Liang Dynasty to Yuan dynasty,which have various theme,constantly updated painting skills.The horses images not only matched with the trend of classical ancient Chinese painting,but also absorbed exotic artistical elements from the Silk Road.We can find significance in commonplace by studying the horses images in the Mogao Caves,since they can represent the course of classical Chinese painting in some extent,meanwhile,we can understand how Mogao caves'mural use the avant-garde artistic style of the Western Regions for reference,and then spread to Central China.By analyze the horses images with iconological methodology,we can learn about specific social activities behind the horses images,as well as the development of society,the communication of cultural,the transition of aesthetic feeling.Mural of the Mogao Caves are mainly focus on Buddhism,so this essay trying to classify the horses images from Northern Liang to Tang Dynasty to Buddhist murals' themes,so that we can sorting the horses images from same Buddhist parables and stories.Lengthways compare the images of horses in the same region,but with different eras,hence we can find the inheritance of painting skills and aesthetic concepts.Breadthwise compare the horses artistic modeling in the same era,but with different regions,therefore we can have a good command of propagation of artistic style in the Silk Road.This essay classifiedaccording to Buddhistic themes,collecting the specific horses' figure of parallel theme and background,seeking individuality of generality.In this view,we can trace back to cultural exchanges along the silk road,analyze the horses' images in two divisions with iconography method.Lengthways compare the images of horses in the same region,but with different eras,hence we can find the inheritance of painting skills and aesthetic concepts.Breadthwise compare the horses artistic modeling in the same era,but with different regions,therefore we can have a good command of propagation of artistic style in the Silk Road.Thus,we can realize the cultural communications of the silk road according to artistic changes of thehorses'images,analyze the horse trading and breedinghi story with the mural paintings,understand the exchanges of scientific and technological between east and west by observing harnesses of mural horses,reveal the ideology of ancients by means of composition and design of mural paintings.