Huayin 畫引

Huayin 畫引 is a book on painting written during the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Gu Ningyuan 顧凝遠 (born c. 1583, died after 1652), style Qingxia 青霞, from Changzhou 長洲 (today part of Suzhou 蘇州, Jiangsu). He was befriended to Tan Yuanchun 譚元春 (1586-1637), the leading figure of the of the Jingling School of poetry (Jingling shipai 竟陵詩派). He is famous for his landscape painting scroll Wuzhong mingsheng shi tu 吳中名勝十圖. He also wrote the book Xishuai zai tang cao 蟋蟀在堂草.

The Huayin focuses primarily on the techniques of landscape painting, while also including sections on critical appreciation. It comprises nine chapters of evaluation, arranged in the following order: inspiration and mood (Xingzhi 興致), spirit and rhythm (Qiyun 氣韻), brushwork and ink (Bimo 筆墨), rawness and simplicity (Shengzhuo 生拙), dryness and richness (Kurun 枯潤), compositional force (Qushi 取勢), painting waters (Huashui 畫水), sketching from life (Xiesheng 寫生), and critical commentary on painters throughout history. Among these, the chapters on rawness and simplicity, sketching from life, and historical art criticism are discussed in greater depth.

Gu believed that painting is fundamentally about expressing emotion. It relies on inspiration. Just as poets compose verse, painters should derive subject matter and composition from nature itself, instead of forcing creativity through strained effort. The artist must be emotionally connected to the subject; without genuine resonance, there can be no passion in depiction. However, too much emotional immersion may hinder objective observation and thoughtful composition.

Gu believed that to achieve rawness and simplicity, one must abandon rigid rules and paint with natural spontaneity, like a quiet woman in her inner chamber or a child scribbling freely. What matters is the unfiltered expression of inner nature, without concern for external judgment or approval. In fact, such a personal and uninhibited style often reaches a level that even celebrated masters cannot attain.

In the section on critisism, Gu Ningyuan mostly refrains from detailed evaluations of the styles and characteristics of painters throughout history. Instead, he simply lists the names of selected artists from the Han 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) to the Ming period. However, from these lists and his remarks, one can still glimpse Gu's criteria for judgment. He distinguishes between eminent scholar-official painters and purely literati artists, believing that combining official duties with artistic pursuits inevitably causes hindrance. Gu Ningyuan also offers a brief yet comprehensive account of the contemporary painting scene and its history, placing special emphasis on Dong Qichang's 董其昌 (1555-1636) role in the artistic "renaissance". In addition, Gu categorises thirty painters of his time into groups such as "eminent scholar-official masters" (shi dafu mingjia zongjiang 士大夫名家宗匠), "master of the spirit of the renaissance era" (zhongxing jian qi 中興間氣), "literati celebrities" (wenren mingshi 文人名士), "famous painters" (ming huajia 名畫家), "contemporary literati celebrities" (jin wenshi mingjia 今文士名家) and "outstanding females of the Orchid Chamber" (langui texiu 蘭閨特秀).

The text of 1 juan (in some editions arranged in 3 juan) is quoted in the Peiwenzhai shuhua pu 佩文齋書畫譜 and the series Meishu congshu 美術叢書, Hualun congkan 畫論叢刊 and Huayuan miji 畫苑祕笈.