Qinghui huaba 清暉畫跋

Qinghui huaba 清暉畫跋 is a collection of colophons on paintings of Wang Hui 王翬 (1632-1717), courtesy name Shigu 石谷, style Shigu Sanren 石谷散人, Wumu Shanren 烏目山人 or Qinghui Zhuren 清暉主人，from Yuahan 虞山 (today part of Changshu 常熟, Jiangsu).

In 1698, Wang Hui was commissioned by imperial order to paint the Southern Inspection Tour Scrolls (Nanxun tu 南巡圖). He had many disciples, including Yang Jin 楊晉 (1644-1728), Cai Yuan 蔡遠, Shen Gui 沈桂, and Xu Rong 徐溶, who collectively formed the Yushan School 虞山派. Wang also wrote a collection of poems, Qinghuitang shiji 清暉堂詩集.

The Qinghui huaba contains a total of sixteen inscriptions. Among them are colophons written by the author himself, inscriptions on works by Nantian 南田 and Yushan 漁山, comments on ancient masterpieces, and even some short phrases and single words that differ from typical colophons. This volume first presents the important painting theory of learning from the mind of the ancients. It argues that the subtle principles and vast knowledge of painting cannot be encompassed by any single school or faction. The decline of painting in recent times is attributed to the problems caused by excessive sectarianism.

Secondly, the volume celebrates a realm of painting characterised by harmony, subtlety, and clear structure, emphasising the concept of "thickness of flavour" (houwei厚味). It asserts that using the brush and ink of the Yuan-period 元 (1279-1368) masters, applying the hills and valleys of the Song era 宋 (960-1279), and enriching with the spirit of the Tang period 唐 (618-907), one attains the pinnacle of painting. The thickness or thinness of this "flavour" is manifested through brushwork, ink usage, and colour application. Proper brushwork requires a balance of thick and thin, dark and light, dry and wet to convey this richness; otherwise, the painting is "thin and without flavour" (bo er wu wei 薄而無味).

Regarding colour, the text states that in the blue-green style, the form must be weighty, the spirit light and clear. The richness of colour lies in its spirit or qi 氣, not in the quantity of pigment used. The clearer the qi, the richer the flavour.

The text also praises Xu Chongsi's 徐崇嗣 (c. 1000) boneless flower painting technique as "transcending formal rules and in harmony with nature" (chao yu fa wai, he yu zi ran 超乎法外，合於自然). Similarly, it highly commends Nantianzi's 南田子 (i.e., Wang Hui) ability to "impart divine spirit" (ni yi shen ming 擬議神明), truly capturing the meaning of creation, with no peer in recent times. This emphasis on nature over technique, and the view that the ultimate achievement in painting is to be in accord with nature, represents another key philosophical idea in this collection.

The text is include in the series Huaxue xinyin 畫學心印.