Straight from the heart

Nurturing young artists

Wong believes Chan played a key role in raising awareness about contemporary art in Hong Kong. "He is a key figure in Hong Kong art history because he was a teacher, an educator, and an inspiration to many students and aspiring artists from the late '80s until the early 2000s."

According to Wong, Chan was one of the most illustrious graduates of HKU's Extra-Mural Studies Department, in that he had the longest career compared with that of his fellow students and developed a unique style. The Hong Kong Visual Arts Society that he had cofounded went on to become one of the most active artists' societies in Hong Kong and continues to support diverse art practices besides hosting many exhibitions and community projects.

Chow adds that her husband consistently supported all endeavors to stimulate young minds toward experimenting with and making new things. He would say, "Human wealth accumulates from creations."

Cheng Yin-cheong, a professor of Education and Human Development at the Education University of Hong Kong, says, "Chan's style neither follows Western trends nor affects Eastern idioms. He is his own man." Wong, however, points out that Chan was influenced by a number of 20th-century European modernist masters, such as Picasso (1881-1973), Joseph Beuys (1921-86) and Anselm Kiefer (1945-). His life and oeuvre also resonated with those of Matisse (1869-1954). The image of a wheelchair-using Matisse making paper cutouts at a time when he could no longer paint brings to mind Chan's last years, when he would not let his failing health get in the way of staying creative.

Chow never tires of recalling her husband's favorite aphorisms: "Bring the goodness out from the material used," and "Technique is never a problem; our mind is!" among several others. But his mantra, she reminds us, was: "Paint by instinct, finish a piece, and start another one soon!"