Oil on masonite

40 x 85 cm. 15 3/4 x 33 1/2 in.

Signed in English on lower right

Provenance：
Property from the Collection of Crystal Cathedral， U.S.A.

The Road Taken Alone： George Chann’s Oil Painting
George Chann was born in Guangdong， China in 1913， and went to the U.S.A 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.
Living in the U.S.A， Chann had a highly expressionist painting style. He depicted the universal characteristics of children but not that of a particular child， which is a style in line with Bay Area Figurative Painting. Although his style gradually changed to abstract expressionism， Chann showed no intention to ‘act instead of think’. He integrated an orientedness into his abstract expressionist style， showing his Chinese identity and heritage in his works. After 1960s， Chann’s works showed a sense of origin and orientedness. Under the artist’s arrangement， the previous symbols had completely gone， and left in the works were only the overlapping colours and the perfect mix of lines， showing a rhythm and movement of Jackson Pollock.
Apart from abstract paintings， Chann also created series of unique portrait paintings， which was an integral part of his artistic career. The three pieces being presented this time， Jesus and His Disciples in the Fields， God’s Great Creation and Moses and his Staff were based on the artist’s experience of going to the Crystal Cathedral when he lived in Los Angeles. 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. In Jesus and His Disciples in the Fields， Chann highlighted the harvest using contrasting warm and cool colour tones， bringing out a down-to-earth air of traditional Chinese vernacular painting. Moses and His Staff depicts Moses’s persistence， and the bold colours add a sacredness to the piece， showing the painter’s unique artistic presentation.
As a Chinese painter， Chann injected his traditional culture into the mainstream art scene in the west. He took a unique road of art， and his works show that he was faithful to the traditions， while being creative at the same time.

Price estimate:
HKD： 180,000 - 280,000
USD： 23,200 - 36,000

Auction Result:
HKD: 212,400