郭熙和他的兒子郭思將其繪畫美學思想纂成《林泉高致》一書，這是一本在中國繪畫學史上具有相當重要性的名著。該書的核心思想是表述郭熙的繪畫美學，郭思做了整理、解說和疏通的工作。〈山水訓〉這篇最能呈現郭熙山水繪畫的美學思想，其中「身即山川而取之」及「林泉之心」是最精要的命題原理。〈山水訓〉以山水畫為文人精神涵養的工夫歷程與境界，其哲學資源可說是儒、道兼綜共融於一爐，對人心靈境界的轉化、提升，有更豐富性深刻性。他的〈山水訓〉盡其所能地把文人的精神意境、參天悟道的精神，藉山水畫展現出生機盎然、生意不斷湧現的林泉之心。

Guo, Xi and his son, Guo, Si, compiled his aesthetics on paintings into a book, ”Lin Quan Gao Zhi”, which is an important classic in the history of Chinese painting. This book was meant to describe Guo, Xi's aesthetics on paintings, which was organized, explained and communicated by Guo, Si. The chapter of ”Shanshui Xun” expresses most clearly Guo, Xi's aesthetic thought on landscape paintings. This chapter considers landscape paintings to be the approach and state of a litterateur's spiritual cultivation, assimilating both Confucianism and Taoism while transforming and improving one's spiritual state of mind in a richer and more profound way. In ”Shanshui Xun,” Guo, Xi showed the vital and lively ”heart of forests and springs” contained in a litterateur's spiritual state as much as he could through landscape paintings.