Colorful Statue Art in Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty

In the aspects of molding and painting skills, the Mogao Grottos of Sui Dynasty had reached a new level. Facing the works in mature period of Tang Dynasty, their characters of interim were obvious.

Because of most of Mogao Grottos being the square Buddhist Hall Grottos, as the main idol in the grotto, the colorful statues were installed in the big niche of the front wall. A set of colorful statues of the grotto surrounded the Buddha. The more may be 11 statues and the less may be 3 statues. There were two disciples (Anan and Jiaye), two Bodhisattvas (Kwan-yin and Dashzhi), two Tianwangs and two Buddha's warrior attendants. In late Tang period, the grotto was the style of central Buddhist altar and the colorful statues were arranged on the altar. In this illustrious period, the grottos of colorful statues were more commodious than before. The believers were under this occasion as they faced the Buddhist heaven. The Buddhist statues in these niches were in the entirely new situation. They expressed the aesthetic sentiment and humanistic flatus of flourishing ages of Chinese feudalistic society.

The colorful statues of earlier and medium stages of Sui Dynasty still remained the characters of low bob on the head. The body proportion of Bodhisattvas had some shortcomings: the upper part of the body was long and the lower part of the body was short. In the late stage of Sui Dynasty, the style of the colorful statues approximated those of Early Tang Dynasty. From the style of colorful statues, after Sui Dynasty, they were mainly made by the way of circle molding, and less by the way of combination of Ying mold and high float mold. Those main statues of Buddhism could show their own features of characters. The appearances of the Buddha were kind and some of the Bodhisattvas were kind; some were still; some were intelligent; some were comely. Compared with the Buddha of Northern Dynasties, the Buddha had various expressions. Some one was carrying a vase; some one was picking the flowers and sallow; some one was bending his knee and laying the barycenter on one leg and showed the lean gesture. The individuality of Jiaye was the most representative one among the disciples and this statue was the image of an old monk who had an ascetical living. Among the grottos of Dui Dynasty that we could see, Jiaye didn’t have the changeless image. Sometimes he was an old Buddhist monk of Western Regions; sometimes he was a fleshy monk of the hinterland; sometimes he smiled or he was sad. The old Jiaye of the No. 419 Grotto was old monk whose furrows appeared on his face and the weather-beaten face meant brightness. The large statue of Tianwang was in the central pole of the front room. Its appearance and expression was similar. The appearance of Tianwang in No. 427 Grotto was martial and the physique was not so powerful. The Buddha's warrior attendants had the same character. Compared with the same kind of statue in Tang Dynasty, the portrayal of Buddhist doctrine protectors’ brutal character was not enough.

The color of the colorful statues in Sui Dynasty was to magnificence and they showed jewelry. For example, the beautiful pictures were decorated in the character’s clothes. The necklaces and Yingluo were decorated with gold. The way of many colors and gold was used to paint the background pictures of the characters and it could set off the floweriness of the statues. In addition, the faces of the colorful statues were used frescos’ means and it made the face more flush ruddy. In dealing with the clothes’ veins of the character, the reality way was used in Sui Dynasty. But it was not natural and it still had the ladder-shape veins. It should be improved in Tang Dynasty.

In the colorful statues of Tang Dynasty, not only Buddha, bodhisattvas and disciples but also Tianwang and Hercules caused the believers to feel the kindness as the Buddha befell the world. At the same time, the natural proportion and structure of human was used in mold the character. The full, healthy statues showed the abundant living experiences. The various appearances liked a beauty’s postures in the dance. These postures showed the spiritual and cultural energy of people in Tang Dynasty.

The Mogao Grottos of Tang Dynasty were divided into several stages of Early Tang, Medium Tang and Late Tang. The Dunhuang colorful statues of Early Tang Dynasty could show the typical art style of Buddhism in Tang Dynasty. The frescos inside the niche could be regarded as the complementary contents, such as Anan and eight monks behind the Sakyamuni. They represented the ten disciples of Sakyamuni. Besides the disciples, the other Bodhisattva and spirits were painted. They constituted of the hearing doctrine occasion and consisted of central contents of the grotto.

The Buddha’s sitting postures were divided into two kinds. One was Jiejiafu shape and another was leaning shape. Their kind face showed the supreme elegance. Among the statues of disciples, the mature Jiaye and bright Anan showed people the amiable art charming. The statues of No. 328 Grotto and No. 45 Grotto could show the predominant skills. At the earlier stage of Tang Dynasty, the body of Bodhisattva was slim and graceful; after the flourishing ages of Tang Dynasty, the statue of Bodhisattva was fleshy and the skin was lubricative. They had enchanting posture and the rich woman’s manner. (Picture 1). The high-ranked imperial concubine Miss Yang, who we all knew, was famous for her fatness. We could imagine her beauty from the materials. As for the two statues of Bodhisattva in flourishing ages, who could deny that the craftsmen referred the female model at that time? In the past, someone regarded those two Bodhisattvas as two Oriental Venuses and it could explain the reference of modern artists to the art in flourishing ages of Tang Dynasty.

The statue of Tianwang in the No. 322 Grotto at the earlier stage of Tang Dynasty was dressed in loricae and it had big eyes and high nose. The handlebar was painted in the statue’s face. He looked like the minority general from Western Regions; the statue of Tianwang in the No.46 Grotto at the flourishing ages of Tang Dynasty was dressed in golden loricae and bob was on the head. Refer to the Han general’s posture, expression and appearance, they consisted of the united one and showed the Buddha’s immense supernatural power.

The No. 322 Grotto, which was constructed in A.D. 698, had the central pole inside and the nirvana painting of Sakyamuni was meld behind the pole. It was the earliest sole nirvana statue in the Dunhuang existing colorful statues. In the period of Tubo, the colorful sleeping Buddha of the large-scale No. 158 Grotto was 16 meters and his expression was composed. His smiling and fleshy face and the measurable proportion were painted. The smooth cassock changed with the body’s undulation. It was the outstanding works in the colorful statues in Dunhuang.

The statues of Buddhist monks were new subject matters of colorful statues in the period of Zhang Yichao Family at the late stage of Tang Dynasty.

The reality of colorful statues in Tang Dynasty mostly showed the use of wavy foofaraw. It was a natural way to show the foofaraw and gave the silk-like gentleness. It showed the mature and decoration of the colorful statues skills. In addition, the combination of colorful surface and structure was artful. For example, the white color was used to show the skin’s smooth and strengthened the feminine of Bodhisattva; the flesh of the disciple and Tianwang was painted flesh color to ochre to show the masculine; the loricae was meld in general appearance, and the chains and scale-shape loricae were painted in turquoise and decorated in gold foil. The eyes, eyebrow, beard and hair were painted by black or ochre. Then, the thick ink was used to paint the eyes and the red was used to paint the lip and the turquoise was used to paint clothes. This strong contrast showed the different characters. Some colorful statues were circle painted to show the reality of character’s expression.

The images of the Buddhist world stemmed from the reality. So, the colorful statues of Mogao Grottos in Tang Dynasty were used the true-life technique and supernormal imagination. These statues showed the powerful verve. Because the artists’ real feeling contained the national spirit, they had boundless charm. After Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist statues were short of energy and they didn’t contain the national aesthetic sentiment. So the idol became the pure idol and the enterprising spirit of flourishing ages hadn’t existed any longer.

Translated by Beijing Star-light Translation Center
Written by www.travel-silkroad.com
January 31st, 2001