Yangsuju huaxue gouchen 養素居畫學鈎深

Yangsuju huaxue gouchen 養素居畫學鈎深 "Deep insights into the art of painting from the Studio of Cultivated Simplicity" is a book on painting written during the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Dong Qi 董棨 (1772-1844), courtesy name Shinong 石農, style Lexian 樂閑 or Meixi Laonong 梅溪老農 or Meijing Laonong 梅涇, from Xiushui 秀水 close to Jiajing 嘉興, Zhejiang.

The book of 1 juan length was finished around 1800. It is a collection of informal essays and reflections on painting. The book contains a total of twenty-three entries on the subject. The work views painting as a process of joyful self-cultivation, an inward source of delight and an outward means of sustaining the body. On the relationship between form and spirit in painting, the author asserts that painting is about capturing form, but the essence should not be sought solely within form itself; it must be found beyond it. Dong emphasises that the value of painting lies in its spiritual charm and vitality (hua gui you shenyun, you qipo 畫貴有神韻，有氣魄).

As for the traditional concept of the "free and untrammeled grade" (yipin 逸品) in painting, he acknowledges its importance. Still, he adds that while paintings of the "free" grade are indeed the highest, "their spirit should be rich, deep, and substantial" (qixi nai yu nongchen houzhong 氣息乃欲穠沉厚重). This view offers an essential correction to the common misconception that such works are merely casual or carelessly executed.

The concept of the "Four things that must not be exhausted" (si bu ke qiong 四不可窮) represents a set of essential requirements for a painter's artistic cultivation. These four things are a brush, the eye, the ear, and the "belly" (fu bu qiong 腹不窮, i.e., the mind). The unexhausted brush refers to the ability to skillfully manoeuvre the brush, "to wield the brush like a pellet" (nong bi ru wan 弄筆如丸), with strokes that twist and turn, seeking curvature within straight lines, strength within softness, emptiness within solidity, dryness within wetness, and richness within austerity. When this is achieved, "the ink follows the brush, and the spirit naturally emerges." The unexhausted eye requires expansive and attentive observation, both of traditional techniques and the natural world. One must remain constantly observant so that "whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, everything becomes painting." The unexhausted belly (or inner mind) means that the painter should not merely imitate the methods of the old masters or the forms found in nature. Instead, these must be internalised and re-forged into one's artistic language, resulting in genuine creative expression.

Once line drawing becomes fluent, the artist naturally gains control over pauses, turns, and transitions. At that point, everything begins to fall into place, what calligraphers describe as the "leak marks on a roof" or "the broken hairpin curve," the textures of pressing into ink paste or drawing through sand — these effects can be placed freely throughout the work. Even without an entirely composed painting, the artist can already evoke a sense of spiritual brilliance and wonder. This realm of artistry, the writer emphasises, cannot be confined by any rigid system of categories such as the traditional "thirteen techniques" (shisan ke 十三科).

When it comes to art criticism, Dong Qi believed that one must first thoroughly understand the principles and methods of painting, and only then can one transcend them to grasp the meaning beyond the rules. Brushwork (bifa 筆法) embodies the artist's style and individuality; composition (yifa 章法) varies across periods and individual artists; structural logic (lifa 理法) refers to the internal coherence and reasoning within the artwork; and colour application (caifa 采法) allows the painting to convey radiance and emotional depth. When all these methods are fully integrated, and the traditions of both ancient and modern are held clearly in mind, the critic or artist may then advance from the realm of form and method into the realm beyond form.

Copying from the masters (linmo 臨摹) has long been a fundamental method in learning traditional Chinese painting. Dong Qi emphasised that accurate copying requires not only the coordination of hand and eye, but more importantly, a harmony between hand and heart—only then can a copy appear to be both "as if from my hand" (ruo chu yu wu shou 若出之吾手) and "as if from my heart" (ruo chu zhi wu xin 若出之吾心).

Dong's book may not use flamboyant rhetoric to show off, nor flowery language to embellish, but its discussions are grounded, sincere, and penetrating, truly the words of someone who knows. Precisely because Dong Qi speaks from genuine experience and understanding, his ideas have proven illuminating to later generations and are held in high regard.

It is included in the series Liqiang congke 荔牆叢刻 and Hualun congke 畫論叢刊.