Aesthetic Contemplation of the Tang Dynasty Dunhuang Frescoes Elements on Contemporary Costume Design

Abstract

With a history of over one thousand years, the art of Dunhuang has developed into a series and diversified schools of design, highlighting the profound connotation of the Chinese culture. Influenced by social politics, economy, culture and aesthetic orientation at that time, Dunhuang fresco in Dang dynasty reached its peak in decorative forms and decorative techniques, obtaining high historical literature value and aesthetic value. To apply the aesthetic elements of Dunhuang murals in Dang dynasty to modern fashion design, the designer is supposed to be innovative, and endeavor to analyze, research, extract, reconstruct the national culture embodied in Dunhuang murals in Dang dynasty, so that they can present the ethnic culture characteristics in the modern visual design language, which may conform to modern aesthetic orientation.

This paper applies methods of literature research, case analysis, and comparative study to summarize and classify the aesthetic literature of Dunhuang murals in Dang dynasty in an effort to study the material, design, image, detail and cultural connotation of Dunhuang murals in Dang dynasty to understand its aesthetic value and its development progress. The paper also gives an analysis on some representative cases of the application of the aesthetic elements of Dunhuang murals in Dang dynasty in the fashion design. Meanwhile, the paper is also an investigation and analysis about the trend of contemporary fashion design as to the style, color, craft and so on, to see possibility to incorporate the aesthetic elements of Dunhuang Dang fresco into the concept of contemporary fashion design and its practice.

On the basis of the study, this paper points out that the Dunhuang fresco in Dang dynasty may offer enlightenment to the contemporary fashion design in fields of material, color, composition, delicacy and cultural connotation: pure natural mineral toner and other materials used in the Dunhuang fresco can be applied to the corresponding clothing fabrics, trying to produce special clothing materials; and the color composition of Dunhuang Dang fresco can also be a reference for the clothing color collocation; the design of clothing style and pattern can be analyzed, extracted and reconstructed from the pattern of Dunhuang fresco in Dang dynasty; and the delicacy of Dunhuang frescoes in Dang dynasty may help the designer in the detail-designing. The Buddhist culture in Dang dynasty was unprecedentedly active, showing the magnificence of the time. It is also necessary to implant such culture into contemporary fashion design.

Clothing is a walking culture. It provides a more intuitive window for the dissemination and exchange of Chinese culture to apply aesthetic elements of Dang dynasty frescoes in Dunhuang into contemporary fashion design. Therefore, the study is of a high research value and importance.