Ethnocultural characteristics of color in the religious painting of nomadic peoples in Northern China

This research is dedicated to color in the religious painting of the nomadic peoples in northern China. During the Tang and Song dynasties (7th – 13th centuries) – a period known as the "golden age" of Chinese painting – nomads also created their own artistic language with a distinct arsenal of expressive means, particularly concerning color. The choice and semantics of colors were built on a combination of active borrowings from different cultures, including Han culture, and at the same time on the ethnocultural characteristics in the perception and interpretation of color and color combinations. The object of this study is seen as the evolution of artistic expressiveness in the painting of the nomadic peoples of Northern China. The subject is the influence of the artistic traditions of other peoples on the techniques of color usage in nomadic painting. Methodologically, the article relies on approaches that study various aspects of the existence of artistic traditions of nomadic peoples, their formation, and evolution. Works by Russian and Chinese researchers dedicated to the analysis and interpretation of the visual language of nomad art have been used. The study takes into account data from archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, and cultural studies. The novelty of the work lies in its proposal to establish clear guidelines that allow for the recognition of the closeness of the artistic expression means of nomad art, particularly regarding color. The article presents various aspects of the significance of color and hue in the art of northern nomadic peoples in medieval China, exemplified by fresco painting. In accordance with the premise, an analysis of the color characteristics of works by representatives of these peoples, who populated the territories of modern Xinjiang, has been conducted; borrowed and indigenous features in the choice, usage, and semantics of color in compositions have been revealed, developed by artist representatives of nomadic culture through transformations of hue in religious art; and perceptions of the creativity of nomads in China have been expanded, which in turn allows for an examination of trends in the art space of the nomads of Russia in the future.

nomadic peoples, nomads, Northern China, nomadic culture, color, Chinese painting, Uyghurs, Han, Xinjiang, Silk Road