- Introduction - The History & Functions of the Mogao Caves - The founding & Development of the Mogao Caves - Cave Design & Decoration - A Glossary of Prominent Mural References - Cultural Synthesis & Development - Periodization of the Caves Painting Technique Before considering how Chinese painting changed as a result of Indian influence, first we need to set out its original state. Three aspects, philosophy, color and perspective informs this. Confucianist philosophy encouraged painters to emphasize moral characteristics, usually at the expense of realistic representation. For example, dress was usually shown draping loosely around an ill-defined body, whereas great attention was lavished on expressing the characterizing details of the eyes and face. A limited color palette enhanced the ethical sobriety of the virtuous Confucianists portrayed; generally portraits were painted using varying shades of gray with the barest hint of red to accentuate the cheeks and upper eye-lids. Lastly, the problem of perspective was solved through extensive use of bird's eye perspective where huge 500 feet square paintings covering a mountain range, such as Wutai Shan, could embrace small details and wide-ranging vistas simultaneously. The Indian school of painting, developed on a Greco-Roman model, in contrast to the Chinese school had its accent on realistic forms and color. Bold nudes were drawn with greater stress on perspective. This was enhanced through the application of lighter and darker sets of colors as part of a more varied palette. Dunhuang painting quickly assimilated both techniques, improving them with innovations stemming from traditional techniques. For example, in terms of furthering perspective the color red, which had been limited to the cheeks and upper eye-lids in traditional Chinese painting, was applied in varying shades together with lighter and darker colors throughout the human form to heighten perspective and improve luster. To compare and contrast the development of painting techniques, see the Apsara Photogallery. Syncretic Theologies Apparently incompatible belief systems, such as Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism were conceived of holistically in the Mogao Caves. From the representation of Daoist Gods in Buddhist paintings, to the association of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with the mother of the human race and his subsequent feminization, to the evolution of the Mogao Caves as Confucianist clan halls, time and again we see the fruits of a process of cultural syncretization. A last example of this dynamic is the illustration of fake Buddhist sutra. These are Confucianist classics dressed as Buddhist sutra. For example, the "Redemption from Indebtedness Sutra" is based on the Chinese "Canon of Filial Piety. Illustrations of this sutra show the Buddha in the central portion. He is surrounded by images of pregnancy and child rearing as well as by pictures showing children misbehaving towards their parents. The famous aphorism of a scholar of the Southern and Northern Dynasties reveals the complications prompted by the adoption of Buddhism, a foreign ideology, into China's national culture. He writes, "if Buddha had been born in China, he would have been Confucius and if Confucius had been born in the West he would have been Buddha." The clumsy equivalence pays as much testimony to China's flexibility in accepting foreign ideas as it does to the hurt pride of such a well-established indigenous, national culture. Back To Top Dynasty Period Cave Numbers Total Sixteen Kingdoms 366-439 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 275 7 Northern Wei 439-534 251, 254, 257, 259, 260, 263, 265, 487 8 Western Wei 535-556 246, 247, 248, 249, 285, 286, 288, 431, 435, 437 10 Northern Zhou 557-580 250, 290, 294, 296, 297, 298, 299, 301, 428, 430, 438, 439, 440, 442, 461 15 Sui 581-618 56, 59, 62, 63, 64, 206, 253, 255, 262, 266, 274, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 284, 292, 293, 295, 302, 303, 304, 305, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 388, 389, 393, 394, 396, 397, 398, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 430, 433, 434, 436, 451, 453, 455, 485 70 Early Tang 618-704 57, 60, 68, 71, 77, 96, 202, 203, 204, 205, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 242, 244, 280, 283, 287, 321, 322, 328, 329, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 371, 372, 373, 375, 381, 386, 390, 392, 448 44 High Tang 705-780 23, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 39, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 66, 74, 75, 79, 80, 91,101, 103, 109, 113, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123,124, 125, 126, 129, 130, 148, 162, 164, 165, 166, 170, 171, 172, 175, 176, 180, 182, 185, 194, 199, 208, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 225, 264, 319, 320, 323, 374, 384, 387, 444, 445, 446, 458, 460, 482, 484, 490 80 Middle Tang 781-847 21, 92, 93, 112, 133, 134, 135, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 179, 186, 188, 191, 197, 200, 201, 202, 222, 231, 236, 237, 238, 240, 258, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 365, 369, 370, 447, 469, 471, 472, 474, 475, 478, 479 44 Late Tang 848-906 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 54, 82, 85, 94, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 111, 114, 127, 128, 132, 138, 139, 141, 144, 145, 147, 150, 156, 160, 161, 163, 167, 168, 173, 177, 181, 183, 184, 190, 192, 193, 195, 196, 198, 221, 227, 232, 241, 336, 337, 343, 459, 470, 473 60 Five Dynasties 907-923 4, 5, 6, 22, 36, 40, 53, 61, 72, 78, 86, 90, 98, 99, 100, 108, 137, 146, 187, 226, 261, 300, 342, 346, 362, 385, 391, 440, 441, 468, 469, 476 32 Song 960-1035 7, 15, 25, 34, 35, 55, 58, 65, 67, 73, 76, 89, 94, 118, 130, 136, 152, 170, 174, 178, 189, 230, 235, 243, 256, 264, 289, 355, 364, 368, 376, 377, 427, 431, 443, 444, 449, 452, 454, 456, 457, 467, 478 43 Western Xia 1036-1226 6, 16, 27, 29, 30, 37, 38, 69, 70, 78, 81, 83, 84, 87, 88, 97, 140, 142, 151, 164, 165, 169, 206, 207, 223, 224, 229, 233, 234, 239, 245, 246, 252, 263, 265, 281, 291, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 330, 339, 344, 345, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 356, 363, 365, 366, 367, 378, 382, 388, 389, 395, 399, 400, 408, 409, 415, 418, 420, 432, 437, 450, 460, 464, 491 82 Yuan 1227-1368 1, 2, 3, 95, 149, 462, 463, 464, 465, 477 10 Back To Top