ZHONG CHENG

Zhong Cheng 2024 Autumn Auction「Modern And Contemporary Art」

Zhong Cheng 2015 Autumn Auction「Morden And Contemporary Art」
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GEORGE CHANN (1913-1995)

Youth

Oil on Canvas
51x41cm

Signed GEO CHANN in English

Estimate TWD 110,000-200,000
USD 3,400-6,200
HKD 0-0

Hammer Price TWD 108,000
USD 9,121
HKD 70,258

Provenance：

Illustrated：

Exhibition：

Exposition：

“Westerners create with their eyes, while the Chinese create with their hearts”
– George Chann

Born in 1913 in Guangdong, Zhongshan province, George Chann finished middle school at the age of twelve years old; after graduation he soon followed his father’s footsteps and immigrated to California. In 1942, his works were displayed at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) as the first Asian artist to be invited for a solo exhibition; the show was celebrated with positive reviews and international recognition. In 1947, on his short visit to China, he was deeply moved by the traditional heritage and the historical essence of Chinese ink-drawing. Nevertheless, upon his return to America, the up and rising Abstract Expressionist movement created a direct conflict with his traditional ideology. Thus, he decided to commit to aesthetic revolution for the movement of Modernism.

In early 1940s Realism was the most popular approach, often portraying subjects withholding deep emotions. Within the painting, the subject is dressed in traditional Chinese gown; the body seems to resemble a child; however the appropriate trace of innocence and naiveness was nowhere to be found. With a frown and empty eyes, the beige color is blended into the background, realistically reflecting the personal experiences of the artist when he first arrived in America. Feeling like an outsider that does not belong, the racial differences strengthens the self-awareness of one’s national identity. Elements of traditional heritage and emotional context are sensitively portrayed, revealing his deep reminisce for the East.

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