The past two decades have witnessed a flourishing of art historical research on the Dunhuang caves, which has benefited from new digital imaging technologies. However, although case studies and surveys abound, the field seemed to lack a unifying sense of method. Similar to his Art of the Yellow Springs (2010) for funerary art in China, Wu Hung's new book builds upon recent Chinese scholarship and offers Mogao cave studies a systematic overview of different art historical approaches through the perspective of “space.” There have been debates over conditions of visibility in the dark cave interiors or the precise religious function of certain grottoes, yet such attempts have often been limited in scope or have relied heavily on textual sources. Spatial Dunhuang, on the other hand, aspires to reconstruct the layers and systems of space that were experienced by humans at Dunhuang. This spatial experience is conditioned by specific historical...

You do not currently have access to this content.