Ink and colour on paper

135.5 x 68.5 cm. 53 3/8 × 27 in.

Dated in Chinese, signed in English and Chinese, dated and stamped with five artist seals on bottom left and right
PROVENANCE
28 Nov 2016, Christie's Hong Kong Autumn Auction, Lot 1613
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

The Joy of Fish: Touring in Fantasy Land
Luis Chan's Landscape of Mountains and Rivers

In the mid-to-late 20th century, Hong Kong underwent industrial restructuring and became an international financial and shipping centre, and it also blossomed with diverse artistic and cultural styles. It was against this backdrop that Luis Chan, an artistic genius, was born.

Born in Panama in 1905, he returned to Hong Kong to study at an early age, and later took a British distance learning course, accumulating solid basic skills in sculpture, watercolour, oil, ink and so on. In 1935, he became the first to hold a solo exhibition in Hong Kong and was favoured by Mr.Andrew Caldecott, the Governor of Hong Kong. After 1962, he devoted himself to the study of New Painting, experimenting with many new techniques in Western modern painting, presenting a natural fusion of East and West. He transformed from a traditional landscape painter into a later fantasy painter, and after a long period of exploration in the 1960s, he achieved a unique creative perspective. Fish Playing with Figure presented in this auction was created in 1978 and is a representative of his bold attempts in colour and composition of his personal style.

Heavenly Creation by Human

The upper half of the painting is dominated by indigo, which not only renders the boundless sky but also carries the swimming fishes like a clear sea. One of them is particularly large, guarding its partners. In the lower half of the painting, a romantic pastel tone is used to colour the infinite world of the sea, in which the rocks look like rolling hills. If one looks closely, five human faces can be seen hidden among the hills. Such precious imagination makes the scene comparable to the great fantasy work "Classic of Mountains and Seas". Chan's love for nature and his childlike heart are evident in this painting.

Mr Johnson Chang, a renowned curator and dealer of contemporary Chinese art in Hong Kong, said, "Mr Chan's fantastic landscapes since the 1970s have been characterized by bizarre and absurd scenes. The structure of the paintings is extraordinary, but the brushstrokes are childish, free and straightforward as if returning to the innocence of a child." In such a highly commercialized and modernized city as Hong Kong, Chan's works are like a magical theatre that transcends reality. He uses his elegant and unrestrained brush, diving in and reproducing the great wisdom of nature.

Price estimate:
HKD 100,000 – 200,000
USD 12,800 – 25,600