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Lot Essay
Asian artists living in the United States have attained wide recognition, for example, the California-based artists Yun Gee, George Chann, Teng-Hiok Chiu, Hon-Chew Hee, Guo Xuehu and John Way. But that has not always been the case. Cultural differences meant that it was difficult for Chinese artists to find understanding among the wider population, and the disadvantaged Chinese community was unable to offer them attention and financial support.
Dr. Michael Brown was one of the first westerners to pay attention to the Asian artists who contributed to the early Californian cultural scene. He visited some of the elderly artists and left invaluable records of their conversations. Dr. Brown's collection is evidence of his support of Asian artists; the majority of the works were acquired directly from the artists or their family members. The works of Teng-Hiok Chiu and Hon-Chew Hee in this auction have been a part of Dr. Brown's collection for many years.
"Fine Art is not a profession. It is a record of life-long sacrificeKthe artist thinks only of pouring all his thoughts into creation and hopes to find comfort in spiritual things, and consider nature to be another beingK This crystallization of the East with the structure and order of the WestK" (Michael D. Brown, Views From Asian California 1920-1965 (San Francisco, 1992) p.26.
Hon-Chew Hee (1906-1993) was born in Hawaii. From the age of five to 15 he lived in Zhongshan, Guangdong, before returning to Hawaii in 1921 to continue his education. In 1929, he went to San Francisco, where he studied as a part-time student worker at the California School of Fine Art (now the San Francisco Art Institute). Among his classmates was the Chinese artists Yun Gee. Spring in Southern San Francisco (Lot 268) was completed during this period. According to the artist himself, this painting is his earliest painting. It shows Hee's early grasp of Western painting techniques regarding the treatment of light, colour and composition. Hee also met the Mexican painter Diego Rivera and studied fresco painting with him. From 1948 to 1951, Hee furthered his training in Paris, learning from the French cubist masters Fernand Leger and Andre L'hote and Germany's George Grotz. His 1952 painting Coffee Hour (Lot 265) adopts the dismantling and reconstructing techniques of cubism, illustrating the various parts of the coffee machine with colour blocks. Hee does not fully break up the image, retaining a certain level of realism. Brown is the main colour tone, with orange-brown and yellow-brown used to form objects and mobilise the image.
In Pali Battle, Hawaii (Lot 266) - pali means cliff in the Hawaiian language - Hee commemorates the 1795 victory of Kamehameha I in the Nuuanu War, which unified the island of Oahu. He creates light and shade with colour, as if producing the background as a three-dimensional screen, and depicts incidents that occurred at various places in a single image. Hee incorporates Eastern and Western art concepts, and adds the traditional Chinese element of lines. Stark contrasting red and black lines outline the characters, and repeated, dense lines at the bottom enhance the three-dimensional sense of the characters.
The marble reliefs in the Hawaiian Royal Family (Lot 267) demonstrate Hee's harmonization of yin and yang in his works, including both black and white, male and female, as well as his superb techniques and effective composition. Hee's passion for wall painting can be seen in the huge 3.2m fresco in Hawaii's Honolulu International Airport. Commissioned in 1991, it demonstrates pure, child-like imagination. Hee's contributions to American culture also include the establishing of the Chinese Art Association and the Hawaii Watercolour Society in 1935 and 1962 respectively. The Hawaii Watercolour Society has more than 400 members.
Dr. Michael Brown was one of the first westerners to pay attention to the Asian artists who contributed to the early Californian cultural scene. He visited some of the elderly artists and left invaluable records of their conversations. Dr. Brown's collection is evidence of his support of Asian artists; the majority of the works were acquired directly from the artists or their family members. The works of Teng-Hiok Chiu and Hon-Chew Hee in this auction have been a part of Dr. Brown's collection for many years.
"Fine Art is not a profession. It is a record of life-long sacrificeKthe artist thinks only of pouring all his thoughts into creation and hopes to find comfort in spiritual things, and consider nature to be another beingK This crystallization of the East with the structure and order of the WestK" (Michael D. Brown, Views From Asian California 1920-1965 (San Francisco, 1992) p.26.
Hon-Chew Hee (1906-1993) was born in Hawaii. From the age of five to 15 he lived in Zhongshan, Guangdong, before returning to Hawaii in 1921 to continue his education. In 1929, he went to San Francisco, where he studied as a part-time student worker at the California School of Fine Art (now the San Francisco Art Institute). Among his classmates was the Chinese artists Yun Gee. Spring in Southern San Francisco (Lot 268) was completed during this period. According to the artist himself, this painting is his earliest painting. It shows Hee's early grasp of Western painting techniques regarding the treatment of light, colour and composition. Hee also met the Mexican painter Diego Rivera and studied fresco painting with him. From 1948 to 1951, Hee furthered his training in Paris, learning from the French cubist masters Fernand Leger and Andre L'hote and Germany's George Grotz. His 1952 painting Coffee Hour (Lot 265) adopts the dismantling and reconstructing techniques of cubism, illustrating the various parts of the coffee machine with colour blocks. Hee does not fully break up the image, retaining a certain level of realism. Brown is the main colour tone, with orange-brown and yellow-brown used to form objects and mobilise the image.
In Pali Battle, Hawaii (Lot 266) - pali means cliff in the Hawaiian language - Hee commemorates the 1795 victory of Kamehameha I in the Nuuanu War, which unified the island of Oahu. He creates light and shade with colour, as if producing the background as a three-dimensional screen, and depicts incidents that occurred at various places in a single image. Hee incorporates Eastern and Western art concepts, and adds the traditional Chinese element of lines. Stark contrasting red and black lines outline the characters, and repeated, dense lines at the bottom enhance the three-dimensional sense of the characters.
The marble reliefs in the Hawaiian Royal Family (Lot 267) demonstrate Hee's harmonization of yin and yang in his works, including both black and white, male and female, as well as his superb techniques and effective composition. Hee's passion for wall painting can be seen in the huge 3.2m fresco in Hawaii's Honolulu International Airport. Commissioned in 1991, it demonstrates pure, child-like imagination. Hee's contributions to American culture also include the establishing of the Chinese Art Association and the Hawaii Watercolour Society in 1935 and 1962 respectively. The Hawaii Watercolour Society has more than 400 members.