The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style
Dongba painting is an ancient art form created by the ancestors of the Naxi people. As a masterpiece of Dongba scroll painting, <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exemplifies the simplicity and beauty of the primitive Dongba religion and stands as a unique treasure within Naxi painting, possessi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Arts |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/2/22 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850144674795225088 |
|---|---|
| author | Mengxi Tian Shaohua Ding |
| author_facet | Mengxi Tian Shaohua Ding |
| author_sort | Mengxi Tian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dongba painting is an ancient art form created by the ancestors of the Naxi people. As a masterpiece of Dongba scroll painting, <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exemplifies the simplicity and beauty of the primitive Dongba religion and stands as a unique treasure within Naxi painting, possessing significant value for both art and religious research. <i>The Road to Heaven</i> serves as an essential religious ritual artifact in the Dongba religion of the Naxi people. Utilizing the format of a long scroll painting, it depicts the Naxi people’s reflections on the origins of life; the relationships between humans, nature, and society; and the exploration of life’s ultimate destiny, thereby presenting a distinctive worldview. This article constructs a theoretical analysis framework based on an iconographic study of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exploring the unique artistic representation, aesthetic spirit, worldview, and religious origins of the Naxi people to gain a deeper understanding of the construction of their spiritual homeland. At the level of pre-iconographic description, this article primarily analyzes the subject matter and contents of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, the materials employed in the painting, and its artistic features. The iconographic analysis examines the thematic elements of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>; the virtual world structure of the Dongba religion’s imagined realms of gods, humans, and spirits; and its simple, natural, vivid, and imaginative aesthetic style. At the level of iconological interpretation, in this article, the characteristics of the religious beliefs shown in <i>The Road to Heaven</i> and the main factors influencing its aesthetic spirit are analyzed. We reveal that although the Dongba religion intersects and integrates with Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Daoism, and other ideologies and cultures, ancestor worship remains a dominant force guiding Naxi behavior. The unique natural environment, historical migrations, and multicultural exchanges of the Naxi people are the primary factors shaping their aesthetic spirit. By systematically analyzing <i>The Road to Heaven</i> from the perspective of iconology, this study provides evidence of its profound connections with Naxi social history, offering a more comprehensive view of the Naxi people’s aesthetic spirit and cultural connotations while presenting new approaches for researching <i>The Road to Heaven</i>. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-05fdae4b7ee94d74b8929d2b2f538638 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj-art-05fdae4b7ee94d74b8929d2b2f5386382025-08-20T02:28:16ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522025-03-011422210.3390/arts14020022The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic StyleMengxi Tian0Shaohua Ding1Department of Visual Arts, Academy of Fine Arts of Naples, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Cultural Heritage Sciences, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, ItalyDongba painting is an ancient art form created by the ancestors of the Naxi people. As a masterpiece of Dongba scroll painting, <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exemplifies the simplicity and beauty of the primitive Dongba religion and stands as a unique treasure within Naxi painting, possessing significant value for both art and religious research. <i>The Road to Heaven</i> serves as an essential religious ritual artifact in the Dongba religion of the Naxi people. Utilizing the format of a long scroll painting, it depicts the Naxi people’s reflections on the origins of life; the relationships between humans, nature, and society; and the exploration of life’s ultimate destiny, thereby presenting a distinctive worldview. This article constructs a theoretical analysis framework based on an iconographic study of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exploring the unique artistic representation, aesthetic spirit, worldview, and religious origins of the Naxi people to gain a deeper understanding of the construction of their spiritual homeland. At the level of pre-iconographic description, this article primarily analyzes the subject matter and contents of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, the materials employed in the painting, and its artistic features. The iconographic analysis examines the thematic elements of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>; the virtual world structure of the Dongba religion’s imagined realms of gods, humans, and spirits; and its simple, natural, vivid, and imaginative aesthetic style. At the level of iconological interpretation, in this article, the characteristics of the religious beliefs shown in <i>The Road to Heaven</i> and the main factors influencing its aesthetic spirit are analyzed. We reveal that although the Dongba religion intersects and integrates with Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Daoism, and other ideologies and cultures, ancestor worship remains a dominant force guiding Naxi behavior. The unique natural environment, historical migrations, and multicultural exchanges of the Naxi people are the primary factors shaping their aesthetic spirit. By systematically analyzing <i>The Road to Heaven</i> from the perspective of iconology, this study provides evidence of its profound connections with Naxi social history, offering a more comprehensive view of the Naxi people’s aesthetic spirit and cultural connotations while presenting new approaches for researching <i>The Road to Heaven</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/2/22Naxi ethnicDongba painting<i>The Road to Heaven</i>heterotopiareligious origins |
| spellingShingle | Mengxi Tian Shaohua Ding The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style Arts Naxi ethnic Dongba painting <i>The Road to Heaven</i> heterotopia religious origins |
| title | The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style |
| title_full | The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style |
| title_fullStr | The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style |
| title_short | The Road to Divine Land: Iconography, Deity, and Aesthetic Style |
| title_sort | road to divine land iconography deity and aesthetic style |
| topic | Naxi ethnic Dongba painting <i>The Road to Heaven</i> heterotopia religious origins |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/2/22 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mengxitian theroadtodivinelandiconographydeityandaestheticstyle AT shaohuading theroadtodivinelandiconographydeityandaestheticstyle AT mengxitian roadtodivinelandiconographydeityandaestheticstyle AT shaohuading roadtodivinelandiconographydeityandaestheticstyle |