Stylistic Studies on the Wall Paintings of the Ajanta Caves

阿旃陀石窟壁画按其创作时间可分为早期壁画和晚期壁画。通过对其各种形式与浮雕的比较，可以清楚地看出，前者是公元1世纪中叶在萨塔瓦哈那王朝统治下被处决的。这些作品虽然创作较早，但表现出相当成熟的风格和技巧。后者有各种各样的风格，从古典到中世纪。虽然可以肯定的是，它们是在公元5世纪中期之后开始生产的，但它们继续被执行了多长时间是有争议的。一位美国学者热心地提出了一个关于阿旃檀寺后期壁画的不稳定的短年表。还有一些人愚蠢地接受了它。但这无疑是错误的，因为他们的风格太过多样化，不可能在短时间内实现。经过精心的风格研究，我们得出的结论是，大多数阿旃陀后来的壁画最迟在公元6世纪中期制作，首先是在瓦卡塔卡（Vakatakas）统治下，然后是在当地统治者阿斯马卡（Asmaka）统治下。公元7世纪上半叶，在卡拉库里斯王朝统治下，一些描绘佛像或佛塔的奇特壁画可能是为了间歇性地获得宗教功绩而附加在原始壁画上的。

The wall paintings in the Ajanta Caves can be classified into the early and the later ones in respect of their execution times. It has become clear that the former were executed in the middle of the 1st century A.D.under the rule of the Satavahana Dynasty, on the basis of comparison of various forms between them and relief sculptures. They show rather mature styles and techniques notwithstanding their early execution.The latter have large variety of styles, ranging from the classical to the mediaeval one. While it is certain that they began to be produced after the middle of the 5th century A.D., it is debatable how long they continued to be executed. An American scholar has zealously proposed a erratic short chronology of later wall paintings at Ajanta. and some others have stupidly accepted it. But it is undoubtedly wrong because their styles are too diverse to have been executed in a short period.As a result of the deliberate stylistic research, we have reached the conclusion that most of the Ajanta later wall paintings were produced until the middle of the 6th century A.D.at the latest, first under the Vakatakas and next under a local ruler of Asmaka. Some other peculiar murals depicting Buddha or stupa figures were probably appended to original ones for the sake of earning religious merits intermittently by the first half of 7th century A.D.under the Kalacuris.