How to explain the flying in Dunhuang murals?

Flying is the symbol of Dunhuang art, and there are many flying images in more than 500 grottoes in Dunhuang area.

Tian Fei is the incarnation of Ganlu Po and Kinnara in Buddhism. Dry donkey woman, literally translated as Tian Ge God, Kinnara, literally translated as Tianle God. Originally an entertainment god and a dance god in ancient Indian mythology, they were a couple, and later they were absorbed by Buddhism as one of the gods of Tianlong Babu. The task of the nectar girl is to send out fragrance in the Buddhist country, present flowers and treasures to the Buddha, live among the flowers and fly in the heavenly palace. Kinnara's task is to play music, dance and dance in the Buddhist country, but he can't fly in the clouds. Later, Manna and Kinnara mixed, regardless of gender and function, and became one flying thing. Now, those who played music in the early days are called "Yue Ji in Tiangong", and those who later sang and danced with musical instruments are called "Yue Ji in Tian Fei".

The style of flying in Dunhuang is characterized by no wings, no feathers, relying on clouds instead of clouds, but flying in the air by fluttering dresses and fluttering ribbons. In a variety of ways, this is based on the national tradition, absorbing and integrating the achievements of foreign flying art, developing and creating the flying image of Dunhuang. Because Tian Fei only plays a foil role in the cave, it does not occupy the main position, so it can only be comprehensively introduced in different periods.

In the early days of Dunhuang, flying sky was mostly painted on the top of the cave, decorated with algae wells on the top of the cave, the upper edge of the niche and the heads of the main characters in the Bunsen story painting. For example, there are four shawls on the top of Cave 272 in Beiliang, and several bodies are flying above the Bunsen story painting on the north wall of Cave 275. From the modeling, we can see its artistic characteristics, such as round head, oval face, short stature, bare upper body, large shawl over the shoulder, long skirt around the waist, white powder on the nose and eyes to show its prominence. It is similar to the flying image in Qiuci Grottoes in the Western Regions in terms of face shape, flying posture, color line drawing and drawing technology.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the scope of Tian Fei's paintings has been extended to illustrations and Buddhist niches. Although the image of flying still retains the characteristics of flying in the western regions, it has changed and gradually turned into flying in Dunhuang. For example, on the back of the north wall of Cave 226 in the Northern Wei Dynasty, there is a scattered flower flying above the west side of the picture. The face is transformed from goose egg to long and full, with small nose and mouth, symmetrical facial features, slender figure, fluttering skirt, flying across the sky, heroic and spirited, like flying cranes, fragrant flowers, beautiful posture and strong sense of movement.

Tian Fei in Sui Dynasty was in a period of integration, exploration and innovation. Mainly manifested in different shapes, slender figure, moderate proportion, soft waist and graceful appearance. Some faces are comely, while others are plump. Clothing is different, some are semi-naked, some are long-sleeved and some are short-sleeved. There are different flight modes, such as solo flight, group flight, up flight, down flight, flying against the wind and downwind ... For example, Cave 427, one of the caves in Sui Dynasty, is the grottoes with the most flying paintings, with a total of 108 bodies. Tian Fei wore a crown on her head, half-naked on her upper body, a necklace decorated with garlands, a ribbon and a long skirt around her waist. Although Tian Fei's skin color has changed from red to black, his image is clear. Some people hold flowers, some hold flowers, some scatter flowers, some hold crickets, pipa, flute, harp and other musical instruments. Various postures, flying around the cave, the quiet and solemn cave seems to be surging!

By the Tang Dynasty, Tian Fei in Dunhuang had completed the process of absorbing and integrating Chinese and foreign countries, completely formed its own unique style, and reached the peak of art.

The four major murals in Tang Dynasty caves are all large-scale classics. Flying is not only painted on seaweed, shrines and four curtains, but most of them are painted on classics. Buddha said in Elysium that the sky flies around, and some land slowly on colorful clouds; Some hold their heads high, swing their arms and soar upwards; Some hold flowers and go straight into the sky; Some hold flower trays and float across the sky. Skirts swaying with the wind and fluttering ribbons make the flying sky look so light, ingenious, chic and moving.

There were also many flying days in the Tang Dynasty. For example, two bodies flying in the sky on the south side of the western wall of Cave 32 1 are beautiful. Although these two flying bodies turned black, their eyebrows and posture lines were clear. They are slender, with their legs held high, their hands scattered, their skirts fluttering in the wind and falling slowly from top to bottom, like two Shuang Yan swimming in the air.

There are naked flying, boy flying and so on in the murals.

After the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, Tian Fei's modeling efforts were not innovative, but gradually formulated. Although Tian Fei's style and characteristics are different, each generation is not as good as the next, and gradually loses its original artistic life.

From the 4th century (Sixteen Kingdoms) to the 4th century14th century (Yuan Dynasty), many flying images preserved in the grottoes in Dunhuang area are treasures of national art and a dazzling flower in Buddhist art..

/Article/class 103/60346 . html