Research On The Image Of "Mount Wutai" In Cave No.61 Of Mogao Grottoes

With the prosperity of the Manjushri belief since Tang Dynasty,The picture of Wutai moutain,which depicts residence of the Manjushri Bodhisattva,played an important role in Buddhist art.Numerous paintings of Wutai mountain have been created since then.Among them,the"Wutai Mountain"in Cave No.61 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang is highly representative and has extremely high artistic value.The Cave No.61 of Mogao Grottoes was built by the couples of Cao Yuanzhong,the dominators of the Dunhuang area during the Five Dynasties.The scene of the Wutai Mountain,the Buddhist st.Mountain,about 225,000 m~2,is shown in bird’s-eye view.It is the largest and most typical one in all Wutai Mountain paintings till now,which has a total area of 40 square meters.The mural connects the independent scenes by landscapes,and has both the practical value of geographical maps and the appreciation value of landscape painting,reflecting the style and development of Dunhuang landscape paintings in the Five Dynasties.This paper foucus on the"Wutai Mountain"from the following three aspects:firstly,discussing on the religious,ethnic,and social factors of artistic creation,and expounding its historical background from a macro level.Secondly,systematically analysing the representation of the picture of Wutai Mountain,including its skill of painting,color and management of composition and assessing its artistic value.Thirdly,discussing the artistic value of"Wutai Mountain"upon the perspectives of artistic aesthetics and artistic creation.