Gems of Chinese Literature/Hu Ch‘üan-Portraiture

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Gems of Chinese Literature (1922)
translated by Herbert Allen Giles

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HU CH‘ÜAN.

Died a.d. 1172

[Statesman and art critic. He first attracted attention in 1129 by his answer to a theme set by the Emperor in an oral examination of scholars. The theme ran thus: “The way of government has its origin in God; the way of God has its origin in the people.” We are told that his reply ran to over ten thousand words and that the Emperor was much astonished, but I can find no record of what he said.]

Hu Ch‘üan1524234Gems of Chinese Literature — Portraiture1922Herbert Allen Giles

THERE is no branch of painting so difficult as portrait-painting. It is not that reproduction of the features is difficult; the difficulty lies in painting the springs of action hidden in the heart. The face of a great man may resemble that of a mean man, but their hearts will not be alike. Therefore, to paint a likeness which does not exhibit these heart-impulses, leaving it an open question whether the sitter is a great man or a mean man, is to be unskilled in the art of portraiture.