Also known as "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas", the Dunhaung Grottoes were found to be a variable treasure trove of Buddhist art and history. The Mogao Caves are a system of 492 buddhist temples spanning the area located about 15 miles south-east of the town of Dunhaung. Dunhaung town has its own historical significance, being a strategically places oasis of sorts on the great Silk Road.A great trade town of not just material objects, but ideas and culture from east to west.
The grottos are home to some of the finest examples of buddhist art and documents, with dates going back around 1000 years-the oldest cave having been built around 366 CE along the Daquan River. Up to 50,000 documents, textiles, and pieces of art were retrieved from these caves. Considering the contents of the cave spanned over 1000 years, many great shifts in art style can be observed. The early caves, and therefore earlier art, show a much greater westerns and Indian influence, and it wasn't until later that the more 'traditional' art style of the Chinese imperial court began to emerge.…show more content… Where there were not figurative pieces, geometric patterns filled in the space. The followed the general trend of the period art styles as they grew in number. Many of the earliest used techniques brought to Dunhaung from India, using the darkening of pigments to obtain a more 3D shape. However, due to painting over and the constant trying to replicate the original art over the top, resulted in instead of shading, just heavy and thick black defining lines. This shading 'technique' was unique to Dunhaung alone in China, whereas elsewhere shading was not done until the full influence of european paintings took over. Also special to Dunhaung, was its depiction of fully nude or semi nude figures in a culture that otherwise has fully clothed
