Wy Log Fong
Ten Chinese-American Portraits, 1940s-50s
Pastel on paper (10)
Each approx. 18 x 12 inches
Signed and (most) dated recto.
Signed and (most) dated recto.
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Born in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1900, Wy Log Fong moved to Portland, Oregon and by 1920 he was listed in the census with the occupation of 'landscape artist.' After...
Born in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1900, Wy Log Fong moved to Portland, Oregon and by 1920 he was listed in the census with the occupation of "landscape artist." After taking classes at the Portland Art Association and exhibiting at the Portland Museum of Art, he found work with the city's West Coast Engraving Company, producing kitschy Chinese genre-scenes and illustrations that were reproduced as prints, often sold in similarly "Oriental" style frames. He eventually settled in Los Angeles, illustrating for magazines and working as a pastel portrait artist in LA's Chinatown. There is some speculation he may have worked in LA's China City in the 1940s.
Though the present group of portraits do contain some of the same stereotypical elements he utilized in his commercial pursuits, there is a uniform depth and sensitivity to the works, which speak to his skills as an artist and to his experiences as a Chinese-American.
Condition is good overall. The boards are quite brittle, and each board has some degree of loss and or waviness (as shown in the images). The collection could certainly use some form of stabilization or preservation. The portraits themselves, however, are all extremely bright and rather luminous in person.
Unlike his prints, which are readily available, Wy Log Fong’s original works are quite scarce, and we have only traced a handful of examples come up for public auction.
Though the present group of portraits do contain some of the same stereotypical elements he utilized in his commercial pursuits, there is a uniform depth and sensitivity to the works, which speak to his skills as an artist and to his experiences as a Chinese-American.
Condition is good overall. The boards are quite brittle, and each board has some degree of loss and or waviness (as shown in the images). The collection could certainly use some form of stabilization or preservation. The portraits themselves, however, are all extremely bright and rather luminous in person.
Unlike his prints, which are readily available, Wy Log Fong’s original works are quite scarce, and we have only traced a handful of examples come up for public auction.