Untitled

Irene Chou was born in Shanghai in 1924 and worked as a journalist after graduating from St. John’s University in 1945. Arriving in Hong Kong in 1949, Chou began to study Chinese painting under Lingnan master Zhao Shao’ang. Her career as an artist reached a breakthrough in the early 1960s when she met Lui Shou Kwan, leader and pioneer of the New Ink Painting Movement. It was under Lui’s influence that Chou began to paint in an expressive and personal manner. Chou’s later works are especially known for her bold use of colour, line and sphere to convey her powerful, explosive expressions and emotions of the human life and the universe.

Although Untitled is undated, it was likely painted in the early 1990s after Chou suffered from a stroke in late 1991. Chou moved to Australia a year later and having recovered with the help of physiotherapy and qigong, she started to paint again soon. Her new works display a new-found freedom, as she commented “I am freer because my world has become bigger and more spacious. I am no longer restrained in the ‘me’ world but have come into the ‘universe’ world. Maybe I am more brave or courageous. One needs freedom to be courageous. No, it should be the other way around. One needs to have courage first before one can feel free.”