Why are most of the subjects of primitive murals animals? What are the characteristics of the colored sculptures and murals in Mogao Grottoes?

Murals are one of the earliest forms of painting in human history. As early as the Han Dynasty, there were records of painting on walls, mostly on the walls of grottoes, tombs or temples. Now, combined with modern technology and cultural atmosphere, wall painting has developed more and more diversely and individually, and is more often used by people in decoration. What are the characteristics of the colored sculptures and murals of Mogao Grottoes? Then open the following article for more detailed sharing and introduction.

Contents of this article

1. Why are most of the subjects of primitive murals animals?

2. What are the characteristics of the colored sculptures and murals in Mogao Grottoes?

3. How to choose home murals

Why are most of the subjects of primitive murals animals?

Because animals accounted for a large proportion of the food at that time. Moreover, strong, fierce and graceful animals could easily have a great impact on primitive people visually and psychologically, making them a priority in their "creation".

Murals, art on the wall, are paintings that people paint directly on the wall. As an attached part of a building, its decorative and beautifying functions make it an important aspect of environmental art. Murals are one of the earliest forms of painting in human history. As early as the Han Dynasty, there were records of painting on the wall, mostly on the walls of grottoes, tombs or temples. Now, combined with modern technology and cultural atmosphere, wall painting has developed more and more diversely and individually, and is more and more used by people in decoration.

What are the characteristics of the colored sculptures and murals of Mogao Grottoes?

Dunhuang mural art

Mogao Grottoes can be roughly divided into three periods according to the subject matter, artistic style and expression techniques of the murals in the caves:

1. The early period was the growth period of Dunhuang Grottoes art. The contents of the murals included Buddha statues, Buddhist story paintings, traditional Chinese myths, decorative patterns and portraits of donors, among which Buddhist story paintings were the main ones.

2. The middle period of murals is the heyday of grotto art, including the Sui and Tang dynasties. The content of murals is less story paintings, and they are depicted according to the local customs and people of the time.

3. The late murals include the Five Dynasties, Song Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. The portraits of donors, leaders of various ethnic groups and their subordinates are gathered in one cave, which adds a lot of brilliance to the mural art of Mogao Grottoes.

Dunhuang Painted Sculpture Art

1. Early cave forms: There are Zen caves, square or rectangular Buddhist halls, and central column pagoda temples. There are more than 300 early colored sculptures. The genres include relief, high relief, and round sculpture.

2. Middle Period: The caves are square-shaped Buddhist temples, and generally a group of statues centered on the Buddha are placed in a large niche on the front.

3. Late figure modeling: generally with a big head, a strong body and short legs, these are the distinctive features of the appearance of statues from the Sui Dynasty.

How to choose home murals

1. Look at the smoothness: Carefully observe the surface of the mural to see if there are any color differences, wrinkles and bubbles, whether the color is uniform, and whether the pattern is clear.

2. Touch: Touch the mural with your fingers to see if there is any inconsistency in the thickness of the mural. Try to choose a mural with a good feel and a concave and convex wall. At the same time, you can cut a small piece of the mural sample and wipe it with a wet rag to see if the surface is discolored.

3. The production batch number of the mural: The color of the mural will be different depending on the production batch number. You may not notice it when purchasing it in the store, but it will be very obvious after it is put on the wall. Therefore, you need to choose a batch number for your home mural.

4. Is the wallpaper glue environmentally friendly: Smell it to see if there is a pungent smell. You also need to check the environmental friendliness of the glue.

Note: When choosing a mural, you should consider the decoration style of the house and the owner's preferences. You may like the artistic conception of a certain mural, but the effect may not be good after it is hung over a large area.