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Wei-Jin shengliu hua zan 魏晉勝流畫讚 "Praise of famous paintings from the Wei and Jin periods" is an essay written by the renowned painter Gu Kaizhi 顧愷之 (348-405), courtesy name Changkang 長康, from Wuxi 無錫 (in today's Jiangsu province).
Gu's essay critiques the works of renowned artists, providing literary and historical commentary on 21 paintings by figures such as Wei Xie 衛協 (c. 300) and Dai Kui 戴逵 (c. 331-396). To achieve this, Gu proposes standards for evaluating the quality of paintings and assessing their levels of difficulty. He contends that the human figure is the most challenging, followed by landscapes, then dogs and horses. In contrast, architectural structures - though challenging to construct - are easier to depict. He believed that an artwork's success relies on imaginative contemplation (xuanxiang 遷想) and the ability to capture the spirit of the subjects being painted (miaode 妙得). His evaluations are driven by the principle that a successful painting should not only depict outward appearances but also convey the inner vitality and character of its subject.
Gu Kaizhi also discusses key artistic concepts such as "bone structure" (gufa 骨法), which refers to the underlying framework of a painting, emphasising the strength and expressiveness of lines that serve as the foundation of form; "structural charm" (guqu 骨趣), representing the dynamic energy and vitality within the composition to ensure that figures and objects do not appear rigid or lifeless; and composition and spatial arrangement (zhichen bushi 置陳布勢), involving the thoughtful placement of elements within the painting to create balance, movement, and visual harmony.
The essay is found in the series Jindai mishu 津逮秘書, Xuejin taoyuan 學津討源 and Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and is quoted in the Lidai minghua ji 歷代名畫記 (under the headline of Gu Kaizhi's Lunhua 論畫) and Wangshi shuhua yuan 王氏書畫苑.