Dunhuang murals

Author: Zhou Da Zheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The author divides the Dunhuang murals into four stages from the perspective of color usage, from the Northern Wei Dynasty through the Sui Dynasty, to the early and mid-Tang Dynasty, and finally to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period thereafter. Each stage represents the germination, development, peak, and decline of color usage. Based on the historical record of mural colors, the author proposes the "phenomenon of different synchronization between color and modeling technique development in mural history," that is, the starting point of color usage in Dunhuang murals is higher than the starting point of other painting techniques. The color usage in Tang Dynasty murals has already reached its peak. By the Song and Yuan dynasties, the level of color usage dropped below the starting point. Meanwhile, the development of techniques such as modeling, line drawing, and composition outside of color, has steadily risen from a relatively lower starting point. This innovative perspective clearly holds significant value beyond the field of color studies for understanding the historical development process of Chinese painting.