LOT 44
Jehan Chan
B. Melaka, 1937-2011
The Fisherman, 1969
Signed and dated “Jehan Chan 69” with seal of the artist on lower right
Chinese ink and watercolour on rice paper
92 x 44 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kelantan
RM 4,000 – RM 7,000
Jehan Chan and his paintings were heavily influenced by his father, Chan Wee Sim, a scholar-artist. His father was among the first working in the Chinese brush medium to incorporate the Malaysian milieu and spirit into the centuries old traditional painting. Combining the use of the ancient and traditional Chinese painting skills and the Malaysian spirit and environment, the outcome is simply fabulous and unique. In this piece, Jehan was to engage again with the subject matter of a near-surreal view of a fisherman, his ship and the beauty of the ocean.
In the late 1980s, Jehan began experimenting with watercolour on rice paper and made this his distinguishing style after perfecting it. Frank Sullivan gave him his first two solos at the Samat Art Gallery in in 1968 and 1970. Jehan was the recipient for the Merit Award in the Art India Exhibition and the 1st Prize (Category D) in the Salon Malaysia competition. He was a student at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, during which his mentor was the legendary Cheong Soo Pieng.