Calligraphic Variations

Born in 1913 in Zhongshan, Guangdong, George Chann emigrated to California with his family at the age of 12. Upon receiving his master's degree in 1941, he became active on the West Coast's art scene. His early works were mostly landscapes and portraits, which revealed his humanitarian tendencies through the focus on presenting suffering of underprivileged Americans, and commenting on contemporary societal problems in the U.S. Chann returned to China in 1947 and met Chinese ink painter Huang Junbi and calligrapher Chao Shaoan, who influenced Chann by exposing him to traditional Chinese culture. From the 50s onwards, Chann returned to the U.S. and followed American art trends closely, beginning his experimentation with abstract expressionism. As a minority Chinese artist, he combined individual Chinese characters in different writing styles with abstract expressionist brushstrokes, and set on creating his own unique cultural expression amidst the fervour for contemporary trends.

The 60s marked the peak of Chann's creativity and his most expressive period. The work Calligraphic Variations (Lot 433) made during this era represented his earnest wish to inject Eastern influences into abstract expressionism. At first glance, the white touches recall Pollock’s high-energy creations, capturing his flowing actions with brushstrokes. Upon closer inspection, however, the winding white lines appear to form Chinese characters atop the bright red canvas, crisscrossing wildly, creating a sea of calligraphy. The tight and taught texture of this work juxtapose with the red background, and result in an overall scene that is at once classical and modern. His free and fluid control over line and colours express his own poetic take on the abstract world.