
Wang Mansheng Chinese American, b. 1962
76.2 x 55.9 cm
Wang Mansheng’s Stone Gate Cliff Lodge captures the interplay between solidity and transience, where towering rock formations dissolve into an atmosphere of shifting light. Layers of ink and walnut ink seep into the textured surface, lending the cliffs a weathered, timeworn presence, while pale washes suggest moonlight gliding across their rugged contours. The contrast between deep shadows and luminous highlights creates a sense of movement as if the mountains breathe with the rhythm of the night.
Paired with Xie Lingyun’s poem, the painting embodies a poetic meditation on nature’s fleeting beauty and quiet permanence. Wang’s expressive brushwork merges crisp edges with softer, almost mist-like textures, allowing the cliffs to exist somewhere between the material and the ethereal—an echo of the moonlight’s delicate touch on stone.
巖穴無結構,丘中有鳴琴。非必絲與竹,山水有清音。左思《招隱詩》
Stony grotto without structure;
In the hills, sound of the qin;
No need for silk strings and bamboo [instruments];
Mountains and water have a clear sound.bZuo Si (250—305)
Calling the Recluse
Exhibitions
2022 May 20th - July 23rd “Moonlight on Stones,” Fu Qiumeng Fine Art, New York, NY
2025 Mar 13th - May 3rd "Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink" Fu Qiumeng Fine Art, New York, NY