Re-Examining the Relationship between the Zhatang Temple Murals in Tibet and Dunhuang Art
Previous research has concluded that the"Pala-Central Asian"style of art in the Zhatang Temple murals,which were painted beginning at the end of the 11th century in the Hannan region in Tibet(also known as Lhoka),combined faces painted in the Pala style from South Asia with bodies painted in Tibetan dress.This line of research points to the artistic lineage of the region,which was a result of the mutual blending of the Pala style from East Asia and the traditions of the Tibetan kingdom-namely Tibetan clothing-from the 10th-llth century.However,new research results suggest that the figures in the Zhatang Temple murals exhibit a style that is unique in the illustrations at the site.Although these figures can be seen to have assimilated the Pala art style newly introduced into U-Tsang in the 11th century,the illustrations in the central paintings mainly inherited the artistic style of the Tibetan Kingdom during the Tang dynasty,regardless of the rendering of their faces or costumes,which indicates that these murals are more closely associated with the art of the Dunhuang caves when they were under Tibetan occupation.This verifies that the influence of Dunhuang art remained present in Tibet during the Northern Song dynasty,and that the art of the outlying U-Tsang region was still closely related to the overall evolution of Buddhist art in western China.
11th centuryU-TsangZhatang Temple muralsPala-style facesTibetan dressDunhuang art
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
