George Chann's art career can be divided into several stages. In the earliest stage of his art career, Chann devoted himself to creating realistic figure paintings, portraits, or paintings in the style of impressionism. After he started creating water-and-ink paintings in the 1950s, the influence of Abstract Expressionism, which culminated in the 1950s in the USA, began to play a major role in his later creations. Deriving inspiration from Chinese characters, the artist created abstract drawings full of interesting strokes. By the 1960s, Chann reached a high point in his artistic career. By deconstructing and re-assembling Chinese characters – a fundamental component of Chinese culture – the artist reinterpreted Chinese calligraphy through abstract painting techniques and steadily developed his own unique style of abstract expressionist painting.

This particular piece “Oracle Script Transformation” is during which time Chann fully absorbed the essence of Chinese art and Western art and even transcended the cultural boundaries of these two cultures. Moreover, this is a fully-developed creation of the artist’s maturity under the deep influence of the Abstract Expressionism movement in the United States. While there is no conspicuous trace of de-constructed Chinese characters in this painting, faded symbols of Chinese characters are enigmatically intertwined into the composition. The canvas is brimming with copious fine details derived from Chann’s careful and zealous research of abstract techniques, and while elements of Chinese culture seem absent at first glance, the piece remains characterized by its vigorous and bright colors. The bold composition makes this painting substantial and enduring yet as unrestrained as the free-flowing cursive script of Chinese calligraphy. Using techniques of action painting such as free dripping and splashing to achieve highly saturated and audacious hues, Chann created a flamboyant painting reminiscent of an elaborate tapestry. This lot is a fine example of the artist’s ability to transcend the intrinsic notions of what define Chinese culture and Western civilization. Chann’s artistic language has always been rich in his own cultivation of Chinese culture. With this profound cultivation, Chann developed his own captivating abstract expressive art style after learning the tenets of Western art, cementing his distinguished status in the Chinese art circle and in the field of abstract painting worldwide.