On the aesthetic style of early Tang Dynasty tomb murals in Shaanxi region
论陕西地区唐早期墓葬壁画的美学风格

摘要

唐代墓葬壁画是中国壁画艺术史上的瑰宝，在中国古代绘画艺术发展史上具有举足轻重的地位，唐人用其独特的艺术风格，描绘出他们心中光怪陆离的死后世界。本文以美学理论为研究框架，系统解析了陕西唐墓壁画中人物画、山水画及宗教画的美学特征与哲学内涵。以人物画为例阐释“形神论”的实践，以山水画中“意境”的营造机制探索唐人如何将自然山水升华为“天人合一”的理想之境。同时通过宗教画中的“飞天图”“天文图”“四神图”，探讨唐人宇宙观的视觉表达，体现出唐代多元文化的交融与超越，用壁画美学研究为理解唐代社会制度、信仰体系及审美理想提供多维视角。

Abstract

Murals in Tang dynasty tombs represent a treasure in the history of Chinese mural art and hold a pivotal position in the development of ancient Chinese painting. Through their distinctive artistic style, the people of the Tang era depicted a fantastical and intricate world of the afterlife as envisioned in their minds. This paper employs aesthetic theory as a research framework to systematically analyze the aesthetic characteristics and philosophical connotations of figure paintings, landscape paintings, and religious paintings in Tang dynasty tomb murals in Shaanxi. Using figure painting as an example, it elucidates the practice of the "theory of form and spirit." Through exploring the construction mechanism of "artistic conception" in landscape painting, it examines how Tang artists elevated natural landscapes to an ideal realm of "harmony between man and nature." Simultaneously, by examining religious paintings such as "Flying Apsaras," "Astronomical Charts," and "Four Divine Creatures," the paper delves into the visual expression of the Tang cosmology, reflecting the integration and transcendence of diverse cultures during the Tang period. The study of mural aesthetics provides a multidimensional perspective for understanding the social systems, belief systems, and aesthetic ideals of the Tang dynasty.