Portraits Talk " To Catch The Spirit With The Form"

"Form" and "spirit" are two basic concepts in the art of Chinese painting. The relationship between them has been discussed repeatedly and accumulated through thousands of years in the history of Chinese figure painting and finally a theory comes to its formation. Whether in ancient China, or in modern society, it is of great importance to have the study on the relationship between "form" and "shape", which will greatly improve the creation and innovation of Chinese figure painting.In thousands of years of Chinese history and splendid civilization, there are different discussions about the relationship between "form" and "shape" by ancient theorists, philosophers and artists of past dynasties. Gu Kaizhi put forward the theory of "expressing spirit by form" in Eastern Jin Dynasty, which is the first systematic discussion of the relationship between "form" and "shape" in figure painting. His theory is no only significant to Chinese painting and art history, but also has huge enlightenments on the further exploration of the artistic creation of Chinese figure painting."Form" and "shape" are interdependent in Chinese ink figure painting. In this case, it is impossible to express the "spirit" without the description of "form". Therefore, for a piece of painting, both "form" and "shape" should be existed. In a piece of good work,"form" is not simply the reproduction of the image, but a more unique and deliberate description of the essence;"shape" is not the hollow image, but the deep inside of the soul of the depicted characters. The theory of "Form" and "shape" not only refers to the external appearance and internal soul, but also expresses the harmony and unity between the image and content. Only through the achieving of the both parts, the work can be more lively and appealing.On the basis of the theory "expressing spirit by form" of Gu Kaizhi, this paper aims at exploring the specific embodiment of this theory in Chinese figure painting through the descriptions of the later development and influence of this theory and the application of the technique of writing and the method of the use of ink and water.