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By Paul Dunwell, writing for EasyFrame
© Copyright EasyFrame 2019
This article is about London-based Oliver Yu Chan, a prodigious young Anglo-Chinese talent. A dozen of his works have been enlarged as murals along 100 metres or so of the hoardings that screen the construction work at the Royal Free Hospital, up Rosslyn Hill in NW3, at the trust's suggestion.
Aged 32, Oliver comes from Swiss Cottage, and his family run a café (Oliver's Village Café, no less) in Belsize Lane, close to the hospital. He's autistic and has found his metier in art. Encouraged by his mum, Caroline, he has been painting for over two decades.
I'd describe him as a 'resurgent impressionist', and I think his work could prove a sound investment, with even originals being affordable. For the moment, at least. Ordinary people could once afford David Hockney's art too!
The impressionists, the likes of Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley, used mass-manufactured paint in a style that let them:
French impressionism dates from around 1860 and was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints. So art has come almost full circle when Oliver, 150 years later, works in what could be called a neo-impressionist manner. Perhaps 'resurgent impressionist' is better, to avoid confusion with Georges Seurat and the neo-impressionists of the 1880s.
Oliver says he is influenced by the Dutch post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh, which is no surprise, and by the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, which is more of one.
Oliver was recognised as autistic by the age of four. By his own account he struggled to communicate and to focus and was socially awkward. He attended special units until he was 18, and also went to art classes with mainstream students at King Alfred's School in Golders Green. He then completed, with specialist learning support, a four-year Art and Design course at Westminster Kingsway College.
It was his mum who pushed him into art. He tells the story of her setting him the task of drawing a hedgehog. To his surprise and delight the result was hedgehogy. His growing interest in art gradually helped him to find calm and to find his purpose.
Later he took a Fine Arts Foundation course at Byam Shaw College before enrolling at The Art Academy, an independent college at London Bridge. During that time he spent a month in France and Spain photographing buildings from unusual angles, in true impressionist fashion.
In 2014 he graduated with a 2:1 Diploma in Fine Art. Four years later he was given his huge public showcase in NW3.
Oliver often works from photographs, in acrylics on canvas paper. He specialises in urban landscapes, but he has also spent time studying and drawing human anatomy. He loves to paint people he knows, sometimes in a cubist style akin to Picasso's, and exotic food, and he can create surreal imagery too. He also bakes cakes for the family café, and has run an art-and-baking workshop for charity. So he's a foodie in every sense!
Reading Oliver's own candid and endearing account of his life, one is struck by his anxieties, his occasional loneliness and his social awkwardness. More than that, one is struck by his decency and his willingness to help others in a similar position who have not been as fortunate. Art has opened doors for him.
He speaks animatedly of his interest in traffic lights and roundabouts. I suspect that means he can see something in them that nobody else does, and then depict it in a way that would enthral an audience.
Oliver Yu Chan is a contemporary talent who could easily be working for the next 50 years, and I expect his work to grow in popularity. You can see lots of it on his website at www.oliversvillagecafe.com.
Unframed print prices (excluding postage and packing) are:
| Print size | Price |
|---|---|
| A4 (210mm x 297mm) | £20 |
| A3 (297mm x 420mm) | £50 |
| A2 (420mm x 594mm) | £80 |
Originals, at 508mm x 405mm, are available for as little as about £850, though each takes Oliver a week and a half or so to paint.
None of Oliver's work comes framed, so if you buy any you'll need it framing. Unless you know your stuff when it comes to picture frames and mounts, it's worth going to experts. EasyFrame is an obvious and affordable supplier, whether you want everything you'd need to do the job yourself or would rather they did it for you. Any good framer will show you a range of solutions and advise on what suits the work and where it will hang.
EasyFrame is on 01234 856 501 and sales@EasyFrame.co.uk, and they'll always chat even if you don't want to buy!
Article Posted: 02/10/2019 13:33:15