Xiexiang mijue 寫像秘訣

Xiexiang mijue 寫像秘訣 "Secret formulas of portrait drawing" is a book on painting written during the Yuan period 元 (1279-1368) by Wang Yi 王繹 (b. c. 1333), courtesy name Sishan 思善, style Chijue Sheng 癡絶生. He hailed from Qiantang 錢唐, and his father Wang Ye 王曄 was known as a composer of operas (zaju 雜劇), like Taohuanü 桃花女. Wang Yi, as a disciple of Gu Kui 顧逵, started to specialise in portrait painting with the age of 12 sui, with a particular skill of small-size portraits. The only surviving original of Wang Yi's artworks is Yang Zhuxi xiaoxiang 楊竹西小像.

The Xiexiang mijue is transmitted, along with Wang's Caihuafa 彩繪法 "Methods of coloured painting", in Tao Zongyi's 陶宗儀 Chuogenglu 輟耕錄 (juan 11).

Wang's book focuses on conveying the concrete procedures and techniques of portrait painting. It is essentially a distilled summary of practical experience. The entire text comprises is quite brief, yet its exposition is remarkably concise and precise. First, Wang Yi emphasizes that to paint a portrait, one must understand the principles of physiognomy. Secondly, Wang Yi stresses that portraiture must capture vitality, and the best way to achieve this lifelike quality is to observe the subject in natural, unguarded moments. Once the image and essence of the subject are firmly etched in memory, the portrait can be executed in one inspired movement. Wang Yi also outlines the step-by-step process of painting a face, beginning with light ink to roughly place the features, starting the brushwork from both sides of the nose bridge. From the nose, proceed in order to the philtrum, mouth, eye sockets, eyes, eyebrows, forehead, cheeks, hairline, ears, and hair. Finally, outline the contours of the face—and the portrait is complete. Wang concludes by criticising the conventional practice of having the sitter pose stiffly, facing forward in a formal sitting. Such portraits, he argues, inevitably resemble clay statues—lifeless and rigid.

The appended Caihuifa provides detailed instructions on colour application and tinting techniques for figure painting. This includes shading and toning of the human face, colour blending methods, the basic colour palettes used for depicting women's faces, various treatments for different facial complexions, and colouring and outlining of facial features such as the corners of the mouth, lips, eyes, nose, beard, hair, and fingernails. It also explains how to depict a smiling expression through subtle rendering of the eyes and mouth. Remarkably, it even includes techniques for painting freckles, as well as step-by-step colouring procedures for both paper and silk surfaces. The author explains forty-nine commonly used colours for garments and ornamental objects, along with how to mix them. At the end of the section, he briefly describes twenty-eight types of pigments that were regularly used for color blending.

While earlier figures like Gu Kaizhi 顧愷之 (c. 348-409) and Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101) did discuss the concept of "capturing the spirit" in portraits, Wang Yi's work offers practical guidance on both the technical and procedural levels, making it far more applicable and concrete.

The text is included in the series Hualun congkan 畫論叢刊 (1937).