PRINTILLUSTRATED:
George Chann, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, 2000, color illustrated, pp. 60-61
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Calligraphy – II
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from 1950 Mixed media on canvas 96 x 61 cm |
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Estimate
2,000,000 - 3,000,000 510,000 - 765,000 65,700 - 98,500
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Sold Price
2,760,000 686,567 88,660
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ILLUSTRATED:
George Chann, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, 2000, color illustrated, pp. 60-61
Catalogue Note:
Order in chaos, subtlety in magnificence, classical elegance and modern panache: this is how one might best describe the work of the late Chinese-born American painter George Chann (Chen Yin-pi), a hidden pearl in the treasure trove of abstract expressionism.
During the decade from 1950 to 1960, his works were dominated by bright scripts or script-like patterns. Taking Chinese characters as his cue, the artist focused on the beauty and expressiveness of lines, hooks, and curves, and explored their effect on the overall composition and visual impact of his paintings. It is interesting to observe that Chann’s “script period” is roughly contemporary with Zao Wou-ki’s “oracle bone period” (1953-1956), even though the two artists never met and otherwise painted in rather different styles. Chann was very comfortable expressing himself in a variety of media and materials, combining the minimalist aesthetic appeal of various calligraphic styles, such as semi-cursive, cursive, seal, and clerical script, with a variety of materials and writing methods, such as stone engraving, stone tablets, or scraps of paper and fragments of scriptures. The result were compositions full of striking textures and dazzling patterns, giving full rein to the charm and symbolic beauty of Chinese characters, linked up to form a chain of strange historical reveries.
In this lot “Calligraphy-II” the white characters on black ground, highly reminiscent of stone or bronze rubbings, are pasted onto the canvas only to be deconstructed and dissembled into vibrant, speckled montages of color and script. The texture of these effervescent mosaics is solid, the structure tight, the palette well balanced, and the general effect is that of classical elegance seamlessly merged with modern panache. The artist’s output from this period has an enigmatic and mysterious quality, and is notable for its great stylistic variety and overflowing creative energy.
During the decade from 1950 to 1960, his works were dominated by bright scripts or script-like patterns. Taking Chinese characters as his cue, the artist focused on the beauty and expressiveness of lines, hooks, and curves, and explored their effect on the overall composition and visual impact of his paintings. It is interesting to observe that Chann’s “script period” is roughly contemporary with Zao Wou-ki’s “oracle bone period” (1953-1956), even though the two artists never met and otherwise painted in rather different styles. Chann was very comfortable expressing himself in a variety of media and materials, combining the minimalist aesthetic appeal of various calligraphic styles, such as semi-cursive, cursive, seal, and clerical script, with a variety of materials and writing methods, such as stone engraving, stone tablets, or scraps of paper and fragments of scriptures. The result were compositions full of striking textures and dazzling patterns, giving full rein to the charm and symbolic beauty of Chinese characters, linked up to form a chain of strange historical reveries.
In this lot “Calligraphy-II” the white characters on black ground, highly reminiscent of stone or bronze rubbings, are pasted onto the canvas only to be deconstructed and dissembled into vibrant, speckled montages of color and script. The texture of these effervescent mosaics is solid, the structure tight, the palette well balanced, and the general effect is that of classical elegance seamlessly merged with modern panache. The artist’s output from this period has an enigmatic and mysterious quality, and is notable for its great stylistic variety and overflowing creative energy.