The Art of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang: A Journey Into China's Buddhist Shrine

Located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the ancient Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, China, contain some of the best Buddhist art in the world. There are over 700 cave temples in Dunhuang, which house over 2,000 painted sculptures and almost half a million square feet of wall paintings. People from around the world come to visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang every year and, more often than not, are awed and overwhelmed by the amazing ancient art spanning over 1,000 years. What is Dunhuang art? What makes Dunhuang art so attractive? How do we understand Dunhuang art? This book can answer these questions by providing an overview of Dunhuang and its art to general readers. Emphasis is given to painted sculptures and wall paintings with detailed analysis of many individual, and often enigmatic, Buddhist artworks. Color photos throughout.