In 366 AD, the former monk Le Fu unveiled the first page of the art of Mogao Grottoes on the cliff of Mingsha Mountain. The contents of grottoes in this period are mainly Maitreya Buddha, Zen Buddha and Buddhism. They meditate, look down and serve the lower world, which is very characteristic of the times. The Northern Wei Dynasty was a period of great development of grotto art.
In 439 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed the northern cool, unified the Hexi area and set up Dunhuang Town. The main grottoes in this period are "Baota Temple" (or "Zhiti") grottoes, with a herringbone top and a tower column in the center. In addition to Bunsen stories, murals are mainly based on Thousand Buddha Cave. The demise of the western Wei dynasty
The existing Northern Zhou grottoes are rich in content, beautifully described, revealing various artistic techniques of characters, and full of exploratory spirit in techniques, which provides many beneficial explorations for enriching the expressive ability of grottoes. (2) The heyday. The two emperors of Sui Dynasty, Wendi and Yang Di, both believed in Buddhism and regarded Buddhism as the state religion.
Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty also ordered all those who destroyed the Buddha statues in China to be regarded as "evil", which increased the majesty of the grotto statues and made Buddhism spread rapidly. In the 16th year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (646), Cave 220 built by Zhai Siyuan's family was completed, which was a milestone in the art of Mogao Grottoes.
During the period of Wu Zetian, due to her deep belief in Buddhism and her constant use of troops in the western regions, she laid a good T-meeting foundation for the development of Buddhism and grotto art from top to bottom, surpassing the previous generation in many aspects. From the first year of Shenlong (705) to the second year of Jianzhong (78 1), it was a prosperous time in the Tang Dynasty, and it was also a period from prosperity to decline.
In order to maintain the stability of northwest China, the Tang Dynasty greatly strengthened the security forces in Hexi, and only Yumen, Anxi and Dunhuang stationed troops 1. 450 thousand people. At that time, generals, guards and military envoys sent troops to the western regions, all with many military personnel such as scribes, poets, singers, dancers, doctors, astrologers, painters and weavers.
As a result, the new painting style and new techniques in the mainland have been directly reflected in the Mogao Grottoes. The Mogao Grottoes were called the Tubo Age in the middle of Tang Dynasty. Exquisite and delicate mural sculptures in the Tubo era are the development of the art in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Exquisite pen and ink, accurate and vivid line drawing modeling should be the results of the in-depth development of art in the Tang Dynasty.
There are 60 Mogao Grottoes excavated in the late Tang Dynasty, which are somewhat different from those in the Tubo era in form and content. First of all, there was a large-scale "Old Du Fork Fighting Saint Change", which was a direct reflection of Shazhou people's joy in overthrowing Tubo rule. Secondly, the image of Tubo Zanpu in Vimalakīrti Jing Bian disappears from the mural.
Third, it gives people a refreshing feeling that the wives and children of Han aristocratic families have replaced the gaudy figures in the changes. (3) the fading period. The artistic style of the Five Dynasties Mogao Grottoes is a continuation of the late Tang Dynasty. The murals of the Five Dynasties are rough and broad, with special emphasis on the combined effect of pen, ink and color. The so-called painting method of "slightly dyeing with focal ink" is widely used.
The early practice of Xixia in Mogao Grottoes was to rebuild the previous caves, and its painting style was greatly influenced by the Uighur painting style in Ganzhou and Xizhou. The figures and decorative patterns on mural 2 18 are very similar to those of Bozixi Grottoes.
The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty also believed in Buddhism. At that time, the Vajrayana in Sakya was popular all over the country. Therefore, almost all the existing Yuan Dynasty grottoes in Mogao Grottoes belong to the Vajrayana Tibetan School with different styles. After the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, Jiayuguan in the west of Jiuquan, Gansu Province was closed, and the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, which had flourished for nearly 1200 years, came to an end.