Why did Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties create brilliant grotto art?

From 220 AD when Cao Pi took the place of Han Dynasty to 589 AD when Sui unified the north and south, the history was called Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. This is a divided and turbulent era in the history of our country, and it is also an era of great ethnic integration and great literary and artistic achievements.

Derived from Buddhist art

I. The Rise of Buddhist Art The highlight of Buddhist art in this period started in northern China.

Second, the early grotto murals

Buddhist art includes architecture, sculpture and murals. The three are the unity of mutual combination, the combination of religion and aesthetics, and the unity of practicality and artistry. Murals are usually painted in caves and temples. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the murals in temples have disappeared with the destruction of the building itself, while there are still a lot of murals in grottoes.

Three. Grottoes statue

Buddhist sculptures are classified by materials, including bronze sculptures, stone carvings, clay sculptures, wood carvings, pottery sculptures and cliff carvings.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Buddhist statues that best reflected the prosperity of Buddhist art were undoubtedly grottoes. In addition to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, there are Yungang in Datong, Shanxi, Tianlong Mountain in Taiyuan, Longmen and Gongxian Cave Temple in Luoyang, Henan, McKee in Tianshui, Gansu, Bingling Temple in Yongjing, Xiangtang Mountain in Henan, Hebei, Qixia Mountain in Nanjing, etc., all of which were built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.