A Big Manor 2001

Wu Guanzhong made *A Big Manor* with ink on paper, and what strikes me is the tension between representation and abstraction. The composition is radically simplified, so that the buildings almost dissolve into shapes. Look at that massive, looming black form. At first, it's just a shape, almost like a Rothko floating in space. But then your eye starts to pick out the subtle nuances—the slight variations in tone, the way the ink bleeds and feathers at the edges. It’s a manor, but it's also just black ink, doing its own thing. The way Guanzhong uses the blank white of the paper is also interesting, it’s not just a background, it’s an active part of the composition. You can see the influence of artists like Franz Kline, who also understood the power of black and white, and the importance of negative space. And, like Kline's work, the longer you look, the more you notice. It's like a conversation— a conversation between the artist, the materials, and you.