Pioneering Chinese abstract painter in the US - George Chann American art collector Michael Brown introduced George Chann for the first time ever to Taiwanese art world in 1995 in an article "Geroge Chann: the Protestant of the Art World"from Hsiung Shih Art Monthly (translated by Yang Fang-Chih). In September of the same year, SFSU examined and evaluated this pioneering figure among West coast Chinese artists in the art history. Chann and Yun Gee were among the 77 artists participating in the exhibition. Before the end of the 20th century, people around the world reflected upon history, re-evaluated and then gave back glory to these pioneering artists that have been popular in mid-20th century. Among the fellow abstract painters, Zao Wou-ki and Chu Teh-chun were the representatives of those in France while Chann, who was senior of age, maintained the first person in the USA.

Chann was born in Guangdong Zhongshan in 1913 in China. He immigrated to the US at the age of 12 with his Chinese medicine practitioner father while his mother and younger brother stayed behind. This situation was very similar with that of Yun Gee, who was also from the same hometown. Gee was senior to Chann by 6 years; documents and records suggested that they knew each other and were friends. In 1934, Chann was accepted into Otis Art Institute in LA with full scholarship and had outstanding performances. By then there were no more than 3 Chinese in the institute. Chann later taught at the same school and won much respect from his contemporary. In the early 20th century the American society was still discriminative of ethnicity. However, the prominence of Chann won him recognition at that time. During wartime he not only sold his works to raise funds for the overseas Chinese community but provided service to the Special Service Division of the American Army. He painted portraits of presidents and leaders of war; he was even awarded honorary medals for his contribution. In the early stages of his art career, Chann preferred depicting African Americans, Asians or the old and poor. He had been pious throughout his life, demonstrating his humanitarian concerns. His early paintings were post-impressionist and expressionist. In 1942, his expertise and command were highly praised by Roland Mckinney, the curator of LA Fine Art Museum. He also won the first place in the annual exhibition of Otis Art institute with his oil paintings.

Chann excelled and had an outstanding artistic achievement with portraits, the considered most difficult sort of painting. In 1947, he was invited back to China and stayed for about 3 years, during which he mainly lived in HK and became friends with prominent figures of the "Lingnan school" such as Chao Shao-an and Huang Chun-pi. He had hundreds of oil and water color paintings during this period of time and held exhibitions in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. It was after he returned to the USA that he started the experiment going from concrete to abstract art. In the latter stages of his life, he used to have interviews taken for oral history by scholars in south California. One excerpt recorded the reason for this change; that, "He started to learn western paintings in the beginning. In the early years, he liked to paint poor people, old people and children. After he came back from China he found the art work was changed. It was modernized. He tried to read the books and make his paintings change from old fashioned to modern."The modernization referred to by the artist was the Abstract Expressionism, which culminated in the 1950s in the USA. Motivated by the Oriental spirit in Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline and Mark Tobey's works, Chann gradually developed a Chinese-style abstract painting of which he used to join the postwar abstract art movement in the USA.

Chann's abstract art development is divided into several stages. First is the black-and-white collection during the 1950s in which he employed Chinese characters, marks and inscriptions; colors were not used until later. Up to the 1960s characters and symbols remained, adding on material varieties such as shattered, mix-and-match, cut-and-paste, paper-pasting effects. The expression during this period of time was substantial and sturdy, implying some traces of humanism decline. Later in the 1970s, Chann created colorful tapestry-like paintings that not only embodied modern cityscapes but combined the old civilization and modernism. Using techniques of action painting such as dripping and splashing, he fully illustrated the flamboyant mixture of the old and new.

Chann's abstract paintings are rich in oriental atmosphere, which is indeed related to his background. In 1952 he ran a store "Farmer's Market Art Gallery"in Los Angeles, in which he did not sell his own works but Chinese artifacts such as jewelries and antiques just to earn a living. Running a business as an antique dealer, he still managed to paint for 7 hours a day. His later works were hardly seen owing to his unwillingness to work with art dealers. He refused to work on market-oriented paintings; pure abstract art was the only objective he had. Until he passed away in 1995, he has been exploring abstract art while running the small business for over 40 years.

This "Tapestry-like Abstraction"presented the decline of ancient civilization. Old symbols and characters are scattered in the white background incorporating in modern colors that creates a combination of the old and new, like a dazzling kaleidoscope.

Chann used to learn Chinese calligraphy, came from the East and pulled up his root for a foreign country to learn western art. He was famous at one time with outstanding artistic commands and achievements; however, at the end of the day he chose to return to the innocence and go back to a simple life. Dwelling in the busy streets of LA, he devoted himself to Chinese artifacts and artistic creation; painting each and every day as if he were a pious religious follower. "Tapestry-like Abstraction"measures size 150, which is a rare large-scaled work. The moderate and harmonized expression of symbols, material texture and modern landscape indicates the value of this painting as one of the most representative ones of the artist.