The Integration Of Grottoes And Tomb Art Of Dunhuang During Sixteen Kingdoms Period And Northern Dynasties

The fusion of caves and burial art during the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern Dynasties of Dunhuang was mainly reflected in the architectural shape,mural themes and ideas,and painting techniques.First of all,in terms of the shape of grotto architecture,the grotto architectural form represented by the bucket roof and the herringbone slope roof is consistent with the shape of Dunhuang and even the Silk Road tomb architecture,revealing its absorption and reference to traditional architectural styles.Secondly,in terms of the theme of cave paintings,some of the Dunhuang cave paintings during the Northern Dynasties period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern Dynasties.Typical examples are the image of Mount Meru and the picture of the dragon car phoenix.The former is derived from the Kunlun Mountain images common in tomb art,the latter is the inheritance of the combination of the two Han dynasties riding the dragon and the phoenix image,and such as Hexiuji,Baoyingsheng,Baojixiang Bodhisattva,human head and bird body images can also be found in the tombs of the two Han dynasties,which have given new meaning after being absorbed by Buddhist caves.Finally,in terms of mural composition and painting techniques,Dunhuang cave murals in the development of the Northern Dynasty in the process of Eastern and Western cultural factors have ebbed and went,in addition to the theme of tombs,Buddhist caves have absorbed the mural layout form and painting techniques,and applied them to the construction of the caves.Taking the design of the image space at the top of the building as an example,the Mogao Grottoes No.249,285 and other caves are very similar to the tombs of the Two Han Dynasties.The long-scroll composition form also originated from Han painting art,especially tomb art,absorbs the "Left Picture Right History" illustration mode.In terms of drawing techniques,the craftsmen initially rigidly imitated the Western Regions concave and convex blending method,and later combined this blending method with the Chinese flat painting method to create a new blending method.Chinese aesthetics gradually occupied a guiding position,and finally formed a drawing method with line-based,color-supplemented,and unique local characteristics in the fourth period of the Northern Dynasty.On the whole,during the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern Dynasties,there was interaction and integration between caves and tomb art in terms of architectural shape,mural themes,painting techniques,etc.,and in Chinese history,the upper inheritance of the two Han Dynasties and the lower Tang and Song dynasties were a microcosm of the sinicization of Buddhist art.