George Chann
Chinese / American, 1913-1995
Mottled Pebble, 1968, Oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 23 1/4 inches
SOLD Untitled, Oil on canvas, c. 1955, 24 x 18 inches
SOLD, Untitled, Oil on canvas, c. 1960s, 24 x 18 inches
SOLD, Untitled, 1969, Oil on canvas, 36 3/8 x 21 1/8 inches
Such American artists as Mark Tobey, Franz Kline, and Lee Krazner who drew inspiration from Eastern calligraphy were both drawn to and influenced by Chann’s unique style. Drawing on both traditional aesthetics and the new European experimental abstractions, Chann developed fresh artistic interpretations that contributed significantly to the development of 20th Century Abstract Art. Combining his command of calligraphy with his mastery of modern painting theory, Chann boldly brought to his canvas the distant Chinese landscapes of his imagination. His rich, complex, and detailed visual layers are dazzling to behold and reflect the artist’s unique painting style that fuses Chinese calligraphy and novel abstract experimentations in a distinctly Chinese fashion. George Chann has a special place in the history of American Abstract Expressionism as a quintessential Chinese-American artist.