Archaeology Magazine - January/February 1983 - 27

Graceful, eloquently drawn figures overlap in complex, naturalistic
schemes. The intricately painted
surfaces reflect a new awareness of
space as well as form, and more
care than ever before was taken to
create integrated compositions.
Background architecture, landscape, ornaments, and furnishings
were now drawn with affectionate
and painstaking detail. The overriding aesthetic principle was that of
the stylish cosmopolitan Tang court.
During the Tang period, the
theme of Manjusri's conversation
with Vimalakirti and the stories
from the Lotus Sutra were coupled
with much more elaborate paintings of the popular paradises. Although the sutras speak of a number
of different paradises corresponding to different deities and directions, the most widely drawn at
Dunhuang were the Western Paradise of Amitabha, the Buddha of
light; the paradise of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of
the future; and the paradise of
Baisajyaguru, the Buddha of healing. In a typical Tang period cave,
Manjusri and Vimalakirti flank the
door on the entrance wall, a sculpture of the preaching Buddha stands
in the niche of the central wall,
and a large-scale paradise scene
adorns each of the side walls.
These paradise pictures were
placed in settings of buildings and
courtyards meant to suggest the
Imperial Tang court. A wide variety
of figures, buildings and objects
is presented in these organized
scenes, whose complexity and richness are an important part of
their function as meditation icons.
The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and
heavenly beings are positioned symmetrically and hieratically in the
manner of a mandala. A vision
of this kind represents the highest
stage in a series of meditative
exercises that begins with some
simple form, such as the setting sun,
extends through images of increasing complexity, and ends with
the magnificent scene of a paradise. Through this process, the
meditator achieves so much merit
that his rebirth in the contemplated
paradise is assured. Stories explaining how legendary people
achieved these visions are often included in the borders of the paradise scene itself.
Long after the Tibetan conquest
of A.D. 781 broke all ties with the

capital, the themes and painting
styles of Tang continued. There are
no notably Tibetan features in
the caves done under their rule, and
only the pictures of donors are
different. Donors were traditionally
drawn in less important areas of
the cave, such as along the lowest
level or by the door. There was, however, some increased interest in
depicting the local people and customs whenever possible. For example, in the unusual mid-Tang
cave of the Parinirvana illustrating the death and final nirvana
of the historical Buddha, we see the
realistic portraits of the people
themselves.
This narrow cave is a unique
structure with its large statue of the
recumbent Buddha. On the background wall are the Buddha's followers, ranging from Bodhisattvas,
who as enlightened beings show no
emotion, through the guardians
of various worlds, down to the common people of the present one.
Included among the grievers are
representative Confucians as well as
ethnic tribesmen of the north. As
an expression of their extreme grief
one mourner near the Buddha's
feet pierces his breasts with two
knives while another prepares to cut
off his ear. In contrast to the vivid
distress of these realistically drawn
figures, the huge statue of the
Buddha displays a relaxed and
beatific smile.
Following Tibetan rule, cave
building at Dunhuang entered
a gradual decline. Yet there are a
number of impressive wall paintings
from the later periods. Ninetyeight caves are dated to the Song
period, including some of the largest.
Most of them are reconstructions
of older caves. Among their new features is the representation of
actual Chinese holy places as painting subjects. When Buddhism
reached its full maturity in China,
the country saw a new growth of
native sects and sacred sites. Often
these sites were located at the foot
of long revered mountains in China.
With the decline of Buddhism in
India, such holy places became the
new centers for Far Eastern
Buddhism.
The very latest caves at Dunhuang date from the Yuan Dynasty.
Although modest in scale, they
exhibit the same high level of artistic
ability with the same emphasis on
line found in painting of the period.

In the following centuries, the
Dunhuang caves were completely
abandoned. It was not until 1900
that the Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu
took up residence at Dunhuang
and attempted to restore some of
the long-neglected caves. In the
process, he discovered a hidden library of manuscripts and paintings,
most of which are now in European collections.
Today the site, formally called
the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, is
under the guardianship of the
Chinese government's Dunhuang
Institute for Cultural Relics. Since
1951 the Institute has supervised
conservation of the caves, including
refacing the exposed cliff front,
constructing new connecting
wooden walkways, and reinforcing
structurally unsound caves. Planting trees on the other side of the
stream at the foot of the cliff has further protected the caves from
wind and erosion. Visitors to the
caves are guided by the staff of
the Institute, who open the caves
one at a time. The archaeologists and
artists working at Dunhuang have
not retouched the murals nor have
they installed any artificial lighting.
So today when the locked door is
opened for visitors, the reflected
rays of the bright desert sun illumine
the brightly colored interiors with
the same soft light that guided the
original pilgrims and worshippers.

and ©Ümjítielated sites; The Art <
flhMsaniofDunhaang^eom.pita! % ^ePunl«M^ÌPi8titato
for Cultural ReliwMJoint Publishing Co., Hong Knag and Lee
PoMahtn Gwmp.New York
1981fccontains the best photographs published todate.
1983
January/February

Archaeology Magazine - January/February 1983

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