Contemporary Expressions of the Pilu Temple Murals, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China: A Visual Dialogue Between Intangible Cultural Heritage and Modern Art
Abstract
As important residua of ancient Chinese religious art, the murals of Pilu Temple reflect a distinct visual language and great cultural significance. Based on the Buddhist Water-Land ritual and combining with Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist imagery, folk beliefs and social psychology. Having lost primary ritual functions, the murals now stand as core intangible cultural heritage symbols and critical visual resources for modern artistic creation. Through field surveys, on-site sketching, archival research, and iconographical analysis, combined with the frameworks of semiotics, iconography, and folklore, this study analyzes the visual characteristics and aesthetic value of the Pilu Temple murals, and further explores their potential for transformation within contemporary art.
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