佛像画初传与六朝画家的佛画创新——论曹不兴的佛像画样式转化

佛教传入中国,最早以佛像绘画的方式宣传佛法,由印度僧人带来的具有西方绘画特点的佛像绘画样式并没有产生宣传佛法的作用,但佛像画最终能在中国广泛流传,并达到了完全的像教作用,这与最早接触佛像绘画的中国本土画家有着直接的关系。在中国绘画史的记载中,最早接触佛像画的画家是三国时期的曹不兴,他的佛像画并非如许多美术史的著述中所说的完全就是西国的风格。根据佛教初传时期的史料和六朝画家的绘画风格记述,可以证明从曹不兴开始直至后来的诸多画家都对佛像画进行了改进,他们所作的佛像画与西国样式渐行渐远,并且都形成了具有本土化和时代特征的佛画样式,这些具有中国绘画特征的佛像画才是佛教在像教过程中得以流行的根本因素。

Buddhist Paintings in China:Their Early Stage and Innovation by the Painters of the Six Dynasties Period——On Cao Buxing and the Pattern Transformation in His Buddhist Paintings

In the earliest years when Buddhism began its dissemination in China,Buddhist paintings were employed to preach Buddha Dharma.However,the western-style Buddhist paintings brought into China by Indian monks failed to achieve the goal.Despite that,Buddhist paintings eventually became wide-spread in China and played a full role in preaching Buddha Dharma in the country.This can be attributed to the native Chinese painters who had the earliest access to Buddhist paintings.Recorded in the historic documents of Chinese painting,Cao Buxing of the Three Kingdoms Period(AD 220-280) is the earliest native Chinese painter with an access to Buddhist paintings.Are his Buddhist paintings totally featured with the western-style,as claimed in many writings on Chinese art history? Based on analysis of the historic documents about the earliest dissemination of Buddhism in China and on the analysis of the painting styles in the six dynasties period(AD 222-589),it is proved that Cao Buxing and later generations constantly make adjustments to Buddhist paintings,resulting in the increased deviation of their Buddhist paintings from the original ones and in the formation of the Buddhist paintings that are localized and with characteristics of the times.In conclusion,the Buddhist paintings with the Chinese characteristic are fundamentally the vehicle in disseminating Buddhism in China.