在？教你做個敦煌彩塑

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敦煌彩塑有歷史記載最早可追溯至漢朝，但千年以前的中國工匠是如何打造出如此栩栩如生的等身人物彩塑呢？

The colored sculptures in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes， a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwest China’s Gansu Province， have been recorded as far back as the Han Dynasty （202 BC－AD 25）． But how did Chinese craftsmen create such lifelike colored sculptures of life－like figures thousands of years ago？

答案是：穿越！

The answer might be a shared art philosophy transcending time and national borders．

敦煌彩塑的製作似乎與現代美術、西方美術有著異曲同工之妙，它更加注重人體骨骼、肌肉的關係，人物比例和肌體的協調性、真實性。對比中國歷史上其他雕塑形式，你可以看到他們之間明顯的不同。這也證明了中國古代的藝術家們有必要的話也是可以創造出《大衛》《思想者》那樣的雕塑作品。

The making of Dunhuang colored sculptures seems to share similar ideas with modern art and western art， as it also pays more attention to the relationship between human bones and muscles， the proportion of figures and the coordination and authenticity of the body． The features are distinct when compared with other forms of sculpture in Chinese history and make it possible that ancient Chinese artists could create sculptures like “David” and “The Thinker” if asked to．

小型彩塑，匠師會將木料削成人物的大體結構，再薄薄塑上一層細泥，由此製作一個木胎並在它的基礎上塑形，這樣的製作工藝在敦煌之外並不多見。

For small colored sculptures， the craftsman will cut the wood into the general structure of the characters， and then make a thin layer of fine mud to make a wooden model on which to make the character take shape gradually． Such a production process is rare outside Dunhuang．

中型彩塑則需要更多的木料來製作骨架。紅柳，枝幹根莖彎轉曲回，枝條強韌，可任意烘烤彎曲，是敦煌古代匠師編制彩塑骨架，教育孩子，烤羊肉串，最為常用的木料。

Medium－sized colored sculptures require more wood to make the body structure． The tamarisk， with its branches and roots twisting and turning， and its tough branches， can be baked and bent at will． It is the most common wood used by ancient Dunhuang craftsmen to work out the colored sculpture body structure， spank naughty children and roast mutton as skewers．

他們利用適當彎曲的樹木枝幹或根莖，稍做加工和組接，製作出鮮明生動的人物結構。一些細長的枝條被製作為手指，而一些稍有彎曲的枝幹則會用作人物的軀幹。

They use appropriately curved tree branches or roots， slightly processed and assembled， to create a vivid character structure． Some slender branches are made into fingers， while some slightly curved branches are used as the trunk of characters．

骨架搭製成形後，還需用草或蘆葦進一步捆紮出人物的結構，賦予骨架“肌肉纖維”，再層層上泥，細緻塑形。既有效減輕了泥對骨架的負重，也更方便匠師準確把握彩塑的造型。

After the body structure is built into shape， grass or reeds are used to further tie up the structure of the figure， giving the structure “muscle fibers”， and then layers of mud are added to shape the figure in a delicate manner． It not only effectively reduces the weight of the mud on the structure， but also more convenient for the craftsman to accurately manage the shape of the colored sculpture．

以木為骨，再敷彩為皮，敦煌彩塑才格外婀娜多姿，充滿生氣。時至今日，敦煌彩塑仍然保持著這樣傳統的製作技藝，神秘而親切、古典而現代，取材樸素而精巧絕倫。

With wood as the bones and colored coating as skin， Dunhuang colored sculptures are particularly graceful and full of vitality． To this day， Dunhuang colored sculptures still maintain such traditional production techniques with simple materials but exquisite designs， making the art both mysterious and cordial， classical and modern．