Hon Chi-Fun
Chinese, 1922-2019
Butterfly Landscape, 1984
Serigraph on paper, 12 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William D. Baskett III
1984.14
Butterfly Landscape only remotely relates to Hon Chi-Fun’s early watercolor landscapes around his native Hong Kong. His relationships with other artists inspired a freedom to explore multimedia in the early 1960s, culminating in bold new compositions. From 1974 until his passing, he combined traditional Chinese brush techniques and calligraphy with abstract symbols and three-dimensional forms. These works in silk-screen print and serigraph invite the viewer to participate by altering the perception of time and space. Notice the disarming simplicity of the jagged half-circles that make up most of the work. Hon Chi-Fun presents tension by halting the convergence of the two spheres and the anticipated climax of the forms overtaking the calligraphic text.