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 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, in Tao Zongyi’s 陶宗儀 Chuogenglu 輟耕錄 (juan 11). 《寫像秘訣》並非從畫論或畫史的角度探討肖像畫的奧秘，而是着重傳授畫像的具體程序和技法，實即一篇畫像的經驗總結。全文僅二百三十餘字，然闡述頗爲精當。 首先，王繹認爲畫像應當通曉相面之法：「凡寫像，須通曉相法。蓋人之面貌部位，與夫五嶽四瀆，各各不侔，自有相對照處，而四時氣色亦異。」其中「五嶽」，指人面部五個凸起的部位：額、雙顴、鼻和頦；「四瀆」，指四處下陷或開裂的地方：人中溝、鼻唇溝、眼裂和口裂。大意説人的面貌各有不同，而畫肖像，起始就應從總體上把握每人的特徵。而且，即使是同一張臉，隨着一年四季氣候的更替，面部氣色也會改變，作畫人對此不可忽視。 其次，王繹認爲寫真須有生氣，而求得生動的最好途徑，莫過於在尋常生活中默默窺視對象的神態：「彼方叫嘯談話之間，本真性情發見，我則靜而求之，默識於心。閉目如在目前，放筆如在筆底。」將被畫人的音容笑貌銘刻於心之後，一揮而就。 王繹還叙説了畫肖像的具體步驟：先用淡墨大致定一下位置，然後從鼻梁兩側落筆。自鼻子開始，依次是人中、嘴巴、眼眶、眼睛、眉毛、額頭、臉頰、髮際、耳朵、頭髮，最終鈎勒面部輪廓，臉部就繪成了。王繹最後還批評了通常那種要求被畫人正襟危坐、面對面寫生的畫像法，因爲如此一來，畫面上人像必然猶如泥塑，毫無生氣。 Secrets of Portrait Drawing (Xie Xiang Mi Jue) is not an exploration of portraiture from the perspective of art theory or art history. Rather, it focuses on conveying the concrete procedures and techniques of portrait painting—essentially, a distilled summary of practical experience. The entire text comprises just over 230 characters, yet its exposition is remarkably concise and precise. First, Wang Yi emphasizes that to paint a portrait, one must understand the principles of physiognomy "Five Peaks" 五嶽」refer to the five prominent areas of the face: the forehead, two cheekbones, nose, and chin. The "Four Rivers" 四瀆denote the four recessed or indented areas: the philtrum (the groove under the nose), the nasolabial folds, the eye slits, and the mouth opening. The idea is that each person’s facial features are uniquely structured, and an accurate portrait begins with grasping these overall characteristics. Furthermore, even the same face changes with the seasons—complexion and aura shift with time—something the artist must not overlook. 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: begin 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. He concludes by criticizing 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. In contrast to Secrets of Portrait Drawing (Xie Xiang Mi Jue), the appended text titled Methods of Color Painting (Caihui Fa彩繪法) is actually more extensive in length. It provides detailed instructions on color application and tinting techniques for figure painting. This includes shading and toning of the human face, color blending methods, the basic color palettes used for depicting women's faces, various treatments for different facial complexions, and coloring 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 coloring procedures for both paper and silk surfaces. Following this, the author presents methods for coloring clothing and accessories. He lists and explains forty-nine commonly used colors 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. Portrait painting was a vital source of livelihood for traditional folk painters in ancient China. The skills and techniques were often passed down within families or between master and apprentice, closely guarded as trade secrets. Wang Yi , by openly sharing the insights he had accumulated over many years of practice, made a notable contribution to the development of Chinese figure painting. “Xiexiang” (寫像), also known as “Xiezhen” (寫真) or “Chuanshen” (傳神, literally "transmitting the spirit"), refers to the art of portraiture. No matter how elaborate and refined portrait techniques became in later times, the method advocated by Wang Yi—sketching from memory to capture the subject's spirit—remains one of the most essential and enduring characteristics of traditional Chinese figure painting. Of course, this technique of painting from memory was not Wang Yi’s invention. However, for a long time, most portrait artists could only work by having the sitter pose rigidly before them. As a result, portraits tended to appear stiff and lifeless. It was precisely in response to this limitation that Wang Yi, even before explaining the step-by-step process of painting, strongly promoted the value of “committing the subject silently to memory.” Only by mastering this approach, he argued, could portraiture transcend the mere replication of physical likeness and achieve a vivid, spirited resemblance. Wang Yi’s success in portraiture—and the widespread praise he received in his time—was largely due to his extraordinary ability to capture the subject's essence and spirit. While earlier figures like Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin and Su Shi of the Northern Song did discuss the concept of "capturing the spirit" in portraits, their remarks were either fragmentary or abstract in nature. By contrast, Wang Yi’s work offers practical guidance on both the technical and procedural levels, making it far more applicable and concrete. 有《畫論叢刊》本。民國二十六年(一九三七)，北平中華印書局刊行《畫論叢刊》，將上述二作單列一卷。