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.

敦煌畫派

中國敦煌研究院第一任院長常書鴻畢生致力于弘揚敦煌石窟藝術，他在20世紀80年代提出對新美術流派“敦煌畫派”形成的期待。“敦煌畫派”是一個跨越時間、超越地域、逾越畫種的畫派，其形成主要有兩個重要因素：一是古代工匠創造的輝煌成果，二是當代藝術家傳承的探索成就。敦煌畫派主要由赴敦煌考察、臨摹并開展保護工作，以敦煌石窟壁畫、彩塑、裝飾紋樣等特征鮮明、傳承有序的藝術體系為基礎，以敦煌為精神象征的地域性藝術家團體構成。

從老一輩藝術家董希文《哈薩克牧羊女》，敦煌文物研究所集體創作的《姑娘追》《獵歸》等作品中可以看出，他們的作品一方面繼承了敦煌壁畫的繪畫傳統，一方面探尋出敦煌藝術的創新之路。敦煌畫派實際上是以敦煌為中心的當代美術創新，是中國藝術發展的重要現象和敦煌文化在當代的不斷延伸。