A Study Of Animal Images And Their Techniques In The Frescoes Of Cave 249 Of The Mogao Grottoes In Dunhuang

The Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang are colorful and rich,with wide themes,involving secular life,mountains and rivers,Buddhist legends,etc.,among which animal portraits are in different forms,exquisite painting techniques,and present a relatively complete painting development system.The academic circle has not paid enough attention to animal painting in the murals of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang before the Sui and Tang Dynasties.As an important part of Chinese painting history,animal painting is of great theoretical value and practical significance to explore animal painting in the murals of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.This paper studies the animal images in the 249 murals of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang as the hunting map,analyzes the role of animal images in the structure of murals,and compares the animal images in the 249 murals with the representative animal painting images of other eras.Based on the animal painting image,we trace the origin and evolution of various animal images in detail,and study these animal painting techniques,trying to make reasonable reference in their own creation.The arrangement of these materials may give us a more three-dimensional understanding of the origin and evolution of early animal painting.The research of the techniques may provide a little inspiration to the research of the color techniques of contemporary heavy color painting.