敦煌画派
中国敦煌研究院第一任院长常书鸿毕生致力于弘扬敦煌石窟艺术，他在20世纪80年代提出对新美术流派“敦煌画派”形成的期待。“敦煌画派”是一个跨越时间、超越地域、逾越画种的画派，其形成主要有两个重要因素：一是古代工匠创造的辉煌成果，二是当代艺术家传承的探索成就。敦煌画派主要由赴敦煌考察、临摹并开展保护工作，以敦煌石窟壁画、彩塑、装饰纹样等特征鲜明、传承有序的艺术体系为基础，以敦煌为精神象征的地域性艺术家团体构成。
从老一辈艺术家董希文《哈萨克牧羊女》，敦煌文物研究所集体创作的《姑娘追》《猎归》等作品中可以看出，他们的作品一方面继承了敦煌壁画的绘画传统，一方面探寻出敦煌艺术的创新之路。敦煌画派实际上是以敦煌为中心的当代美术创新，是中国艺术发展的重要现象和敦煌文化在当代的不断延伸。
Dunhuang School of Painting
The first president of the Dunhuang Academy, Chang Shuhong (1904-1994), was a renowned Chinese painter and art educator who devoted his life to promoting the art of the Dunhuang Caves. In the 1980s, he expressed hope for the formation of a new art movement known as the "Dunhuang School of Painting". Aiming to break the limits of time, geography, and art forms, this school is primarily influenced by two significant factors: the brilliant achievements of ancient craftsmen and the exploratory accomplishments of contemporary artists. The Dunhuang School of Painting mainly consists of artists who have visited Dunhuang for research, replication, and conservation work. It is based on a distinct, orderly artistic system characterized by the murals, colored sculptures, and decorative patterns of the Dunhuang Caves. This group of regional artists are united by Dunhuang as a spiritual symbol.
Works by older artists such as The Kazakh Shepherdess by Dong Xiwen (1914-1973), as well as collectively-created pieces like Girl Chasing and Returning from Hunt, by the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute, all show that such artists not only inherit the painting traditions of Dunhuang murals but also explore innovative pathways for Dunhuang art. The Dunhuang School of Painting represents a contemporary art innovation centered around Dunhuang, reflecting an important phenomenon in the development of Chinese art and the continuous extension of Dunhuang culture in modern times.
