Research On The Costume Design And Application Of Dunhuang Donors’ Portraits In The Five Dynasties

Dunhuang is located at the west end of Hexi Corridor in Gansu province of China.It is a large town on the ancient Silk Road and a centre of culture,economy and religion celebrated both at home and abroad.With the introduction of Buddhism from ancient India to China,its belief system,philosophy,art,and culture spread to China.The Dunhuang Grotto art that was begun in 366 CE and lasted for ten dynasties is represents a unique and outstanding achievement.In the Five Dynasties period(907 to 960 CE),the Dunhuang Grottoes continued their artistic brilliance with the support of the local Cao’s political leaders and the donors who sponsored the work.In order to illustrate the religious practices and patterns of worship described within of the Buddhist canon who sponsored the painting to enhance the prestige of the family,a large number of beautifully drawn portraits with illustrations appeared in the cave.These provide valuable images and historical resources for the study of specific important personages.This paper studies105 representative grottoes of Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes in the Five Dynasties and adjacent periods of Dunhuang,and explores the costume design from more than 1500 donors’ portraits in the grottoes.It has a great academic value to clarify the appearance and internal causes of the changes in artistic styles and aesthetic characteristics of costume design at this time.Firstly,this article will discuss the historical context and geopolitical features of the Five Dynasties in Dunhuang.It will analyze the conceptual framework and attributes of the portraits of the subjects of the paintings,and investigate how the costume design changed over time.Secondly,it will divide the research subjects into three categories: male donors,female donors,and monastic donors.It takes into account the influences of secularism and religion,gender,identity status and ethnic differences,to present both a horizontal and longitudinal comparative context.Thirdly,on the basis of investigation and classification,it uses design theory to analyze and study the themes,modeling,color and composition of the images of costume design.Fourthly,it will explore the clothing patterns,color composition,production methods and artistic style.This will demonstrate the unique features of the Five Dynasties of costume design and connect them to the literature and other material culture.I will show that there are many similarities with modern dress design and decorative art,and principles practiced in Dunhuang which can be applied directly or indirectly to modern design practice.In this paper,the Five Dynasties is selected as the study period.During this period,the Dunhuang’s grotto art begins to decline.It moves form individuation to stylization.The trend in fashion design has changed from gorgeous to elegant.Finally,the study will explore both the material and the spiritual meaning reflected in the costume design at Dunhuang.