Oil on masonite

80 x 60 cm 31 1/2×23 5/8 in

Signed in English on bottom left
PROVENANCE
Collection of Crystal Cathedral Ministries， California， U.S.AGeorge Chann was born in Guangdong， China in 1913， and went to the USA with his father after finishing high school education at the age of 12. His artistic career started in 1933. He entered the Otis Institute of Arts in Los Angeles， where he received solid training in sketches and oil painting. He earned his master’s degree in fine arts， and his works were exhibited in galleries and museums in San Francisco， New York， Los Angeles and San Diego with much attention and coverage by Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Herald. In 1947， he moved back to Hong Kong， became a guest lecturer in Lingnan University， Guangzhou， and held solo exhibitions. He was a pioneer of Chinese artists in the international art scene.
Chann was famous for his series of unique portrait paintings， which was an integral part of his artistic career. The piece being presented this time， Jesus Multiplying the fish was based on the bible， as Chan was a dedicated believer in Christianity. He created about 250 religious portraits based on the Bible， and he personally picked and gave them to the church. Compared with his abstract paintings， the pieces in this series show the artist’s understanding of life， as well as his unique spiritual belief. Rich and harmonious colours highlight the church scene， and his brushes remind one of both Cézanne and van Gogh. The people are the focuses of the paintings. Jesus Multiplying the fish was based on the record in the Gosepels， that a little boy， follows the spirit of Jesus， was going to share his food to 5000 adults， it is also a paradox that Jesus was going to sacrificing himself to feed the rest of the world. Chann used smooth lining and condensed color to enhance the religious atmosphere of his painting. He purposely ignored the facial expression of Jesus， making audience focus on the storyline of the painting. The little boy was portrait by the color of orange to indicate the hope and love that he brings to world， showing the painter’s unique artistic presentation. This series of work were fulfilled by Chann’s personal sentiment with a clear provenance and meaningful origins， it is also very rare to see in Asian auction， thus worth noticing to collectors and art lovers.

Price estimate:
HKD: 180,000 – 250,000
USD: 23,100 – 32,100

Auction Result:
HKD: --