He Hongbing's Stone and Splendor

A commanding square composition, He Hongbing's Stone and Splendor arrives at forty-seven and a half inches in both height and width — a proportion that asserts itself with the quiet confidence of architectural relief rather than decorative afterthought. Sandstone, with its ancient, matte geology, is brought into dialogue with gold leaf, that most civilized of finishes, creating a surface that reads differently in morning light than it does by candlelight. The shallow depth of two and a half inches belies the work's considerable presence; this is a piece that recedes into a wall only to command the entire room.