敦煌壁画
敦煌壁画是敦煌石窟艺术的主要组成部分之一。因敦煌石窟崖体不适合雕刻，所以古代先民在开凿洞窟之后，在窟顶和墙面抹泥涂白粉，令壁面平整再在上面作画。与石刻相比，绘画费工少，易于描绘细节，人物场景的一点一滴都可以精细入画，表现出的佛经内容及社会风情都比石刻更广泛、丰富和详尽。
敦煌壁画总面积5万多平方米，按绘制的题材，可以归纳为尊像画、佛传故事画、本生故事画、因缘故事画、汉族神话题材图画、佛教史迹画、经变画、供养人像（含出行图）、装饰图案画共九大类。其中，本生故事画是描绘释迦牟尼前生累世的各种善行，佛传故事画描绘释迦牟尼从出生到涅槃的一生事迹；经变画是敦煌最具代表性的绘画形式，通常专指将一部佛经的主要内容组织成有始有终、主次分明的大幅画。莫高窟现存经变画33种，内容丰富，形式多样，是珍贵的文化遗产。
敦煌壁画绘制的内容以佛教题材为主，兼有中国古代的神话题材和社会生活的场景，既是一部延续千年的美术史，同时又是中国古代社会、政治、经济、军事、文化、民族关系、中外交流等历史形象的资料宝库。
Dunhuang Murals
Dunhuang murals are one of the central components of Dunhuang cave art. Because the cliffs of the Dunhuang caves are not suitable for carving, the ancient people plastered the ceilings and walls with mud and chalk after excavating the caves, creating a smooth surface for painting. Compared to stone carvings, painting requires less labor, making it easier to depict details. Every little aspect of the figures and scenes can be rendered with precision, allowing for a broader, richer, and more detailed interpretation of Buddhist texts and social customs than stone carvings.
The total area of Dunhuang murals exceeds 50,000 square meters. Based on the themes depicted, they can be categorized into nine major types: portraits, stories of Buddha's life, Jātaka tales, stories of causes and conditions, Han Chinese mythological illustrations, paintings of Buddhist historical sites, sutra transformation paintings, donor portraits (including pilgrimage scenes), and decorative patterns. Among them, Jātaka tales depict the various good deeds of Siddhartha Gautama in his previous lives, while the stories of Buddha's life portray his journey from birth to nirvana. Sutra transformation paintings are the most representative form of Dunhuang art, usually focusing on organizing the main content of Buddhist scriptures into large paintings with a clear beginning, end, and hierarchy. The 33 types of sutra transformation paintings currently within the Mogao Caves are rich in content and diverse in form, representing invaluable cultural heritage.
The themes of Dunhuang murals primarily revolve around Buddhism, but they also include ancient Chinese mythological themes and scenes of social life. They represent a continuous history of art spanning thousands of years and serve as a treasure trove of historical data reflecting ancient Chinese society, politics, economics, military affairs, culture, ethnic relations, and exchanges between Chinese and other cultures.
