Oil on canvas

43.5×63 cm. 17 1/8×24 3/4 in.

Signed in English on bottom left

LITERATURE
1995, Yun Gee 1906—1963, Lin & Keng Gallery, Inc., Taipei, p. 48—49
2014, World Famous Artists: Yungee Chu, Hebei Publishing Media Group, Shijiazhuang, p. 115
EXHIBITED
2 - 21 Apr 1945, Paintings by Yun Gee, Lilienfeld Galleries, New York
19 Aug - 5 Sep 1995, Yun Gee 1906-1963, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei

PROVENANCE
27 May 2007, Christie's Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 234
24 Nov 2013, Christie's Hong Kong Autumn Auction, Lot 116
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

Eternal Love, Galloping into Dreams
The Extraordinary Colourful World of Yun Gee

Chinese art pioneer Yun Gee was born in culturally rich China, raised in the United States, the capital of the modern world, and lived in many different places during his lifetime. At the age of 15, he left his hometown in Guangzhou to attend school in San Francisco. At 21, he held his first solo exhibition and from 1927-1930, and again from 1936-1939, lived in Paris, where he made a name for himself in the French art scene. In 1932, Yun took part in the grand opening exhibition at the new building of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, making him the first Chinese artist to receive such recognition. In 1937, he introduced his unique "Diamondism" style and established a school to promote this creative philosophy, achieving brilliant artistic accomplishments based on his cross-regional and cross-cultural experiences. When Yun Gee passed away in New York in 1963 at the age of 57, many galleries and museums held retrospective exhibitions in his honour. His works have been collected by renowned art institutions around the world such as the Centre Pompidou in France, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum of California, and Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan.

Throughout his life, Yun Gee tirelessly explored the essence of Eastern and Western cultures, employing introspection to reflect profound philosophical ideas, which he extensively showcased in his paintings. The works presented here, Leda and the Swan (Lot 28) completed in the late 1930s and Returning Home (Lot 29) finished in the early 1940s, fully highlight the artist's innovative Eastern interpretation of themes in Western mythology, together with his romantic blending of landscapes and dreamscapes.

Unity of Man and God: A Female Nude and Mythological Motifs Masterpiece

In 1938, during his second stay in Paris, Yun Gee participated in 14 group exhibitions, one of which was La Femme Vue Par Les Peintres (The Woman Seen by the Painters) at Galerie Le Niveau in Paris. A total of 38 artists took part, including renowned figures such as Picasso, André Derain, Raoul Dufy, and Marie Laurencin. As one of the participants, Yun was greatly encouraged by the series of exhibitions. He adopted the female nude as a creative focus, one he had rarely touched on before, and created a unique series of works, praised as "visible soul" pieces. Leda and the Swan is an exquisite example of this theme. In 1945, the work was displayed at the Lilienfeld Galleries in New York together with two other renowned female nudes by the artist - Three Graces and Four Dancers, highlighting its representative nature.

Connecting Past and Present: A Modern Recreation of Mythological Text

The work Leda and the Swan invokes the ancient Greek myth of Leda, wife to Tyndareus, king of Sparta, who while bathing by the river is seduced by Zeus, father of the gods, who had transformed into a swan. For centuries, this legendary story has appealed to literary and artistic figures, from the nurturing, maternal radiance of Leda painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance, to the depictions of Leda by Italian sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati, which combine the strength and beauty of the human form with primal animalistic libido. During the 1930s, Yun Gee, who often visited the major museums in Paris, was undoubtedly deeply moved by the same theme, leading to the painting of Leda and the Swan.

Eastern Brushwork, the Romantic Sentiment of Complete Harmony

An overview of Yun Gee's work shows that oil paintings with motifs based on Western mythology are relatively uncommon, with The Three Graces and Leda and the Swan being rare classics. In addition, the artist seemingly imbues these Western myths with Eastern aesthetics. Beneath the deep blue sky, the beautiful Leda reclines on the ground on her side with her eyes closed, while the white swan bends down to kiss her graceful figure. As if touched by this love the clouds in the night sky are seemingly transformed into outstretched wings embracing the radiant full moon. Yun uses calligraphic brushstrokes to paint smooth flowing curves that depict the undulating contours of Leda's body, reminiscent of the female nude oil paintings by Sanyu at the same time, and evoking the mist and rain "in Cloudy Mountains" by Mi Fu and Mi Songren in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Moreover, the artist's soft brushwork gives rise to an Eastern rhythm that deepens the viewer's perception of the "harmonious fusion" of Leda and the swan, adding a layer of unforgettable mystery to the painting.

American art historian Joyce Brodsky has argued that Yun Gee's female nudes during this period may have been influenced by the "pink periods" of Matisse and Picasso, particularly placing subjects in natural settings. This highlights the connection between feminine and natural beauty as well as introducing dream and imagination elements. Yun absorbed and transformed the Fauvist and Cubist forms of the two masters, and boldly juxtaposes the warm yellow and cold blue tones to emphasis the coexistence of "Heaven, Earth and humanity," from the perspective of Eastern brushwork and colour harmony. The softness and beauty of the female form, depicted in pink, is contrasted against the deep blue of the night sky and the warm yellow of the ground, symbolizing the inherent oneness of humankind and nature. The work clearly expresses the primary colours of red, yellow and blue, but also imbues the scene with the "material and spiritual essence of inner life" as discussed in the artist's Diamondism theory.

Heaven and Earth are Produced Together, I Am One with All Things

Interestingly, unlike the depictions of Leda embracing the swan by Western masters, in Yun Gee's painting she is in a deep sleep and it is almost as if everything else is a projection of her dream. The artist ingeniously connects this to his research into Freud's theory that "dreams are expressions of the unconscious." Moreover, this also takes the traditional idea that in the myth the swan represents masculinity and the forces of patriarchy, and transforms it into the swan being the pursuit of "perfect beauty," Leda's yearning for love, and her subconscious desire to break free from secular constraints. In addition, Lede wandering the world immersed in nature also reflects the Taoist philosophy of "Making all things equal" and the belief that "Heaven, Earth, and I were produced together, and I am one with all things," achieving self-transcendence through individual imagination and dreams.

A Corner of Eternity: A Precious Landscape Spanning Two Decades

Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Yun Gee was forced to leave Paris, the city where he had received most recognition and returned to New York with hopes for the future. In 1942, he moved to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, where for a time he lived a life replete with love and warmth with his new wife, Helen Wimmer. At the same time, his landscapes changed from the bright, beautiful and relaxed brushwork of Paris to embrace a more refined, expansive, and emotionally rich charm. The painting Returning Home, completed in the 1940s, showcases this shift in focus.

The composition employed in this painting appeared three times in Yun Gee's works. The first was in 1928, when he lived in Madrid for several months, producing an en plein air work titled Paisaje de Madrid con edifice blanco (Madrid Landscape with a White House). The second was Saint-Cloud Station in 1938, which depicts the rural scenery of Paris at that time, while the third piece is the auctioned work Returning Home. These three paintings, span a period of about 20 years and form an intriguing cyclical series. This perhaps originates in Yun's lingering nostalgia for this particular scene or the way he transforms it into a utopian connection that transcends time and space. Through different artistic periods, this landscape took shape, cherished and treasured like a fragment of a wonderful dream, forever in his heart and it is this quality that imbues Returning Home with special meaning.

Rich and Serene, a Once Familiar Landscape

Upon closer inspection, the composition also employs an iconic motif from the previous two works, featuring two red-and-white European-style buildings and two trees in the foreground, one large, one small. However, the painting is also completely different in terms of brushwork, colour and subject matter. If we look at content and expressive form, the Madrid Landscape captures an empty scene with lyrical brushstrokes, whereas the work from the artist's Paris period utilises the unique triangular-shaped cut away surfaces of his Diamondism. In contrast, Returning Home, painted in New York in the 1940s, adopts smaller, more compact brushstrokes which give the piece a realistic tone. Yun emphasizes light and shade aspects of objects, which allows a softer rhythm of light-shade to flow, creating a subjective feel for viewers that makes it feel almost as if they are physically present in the scene.

Secondly, Yun Gee also deepens his earlier exploration of the colour spectrum with a focus on red, yellow and green, skillfully layering the colours in a way that depicts the differences in tone of the cultural and natural landscapes. For example, the white colour of the central building serves as a focal point, with the bright red roof and Byzantine church on the right providing a contrast. In depicting the forest and the ground, Yun emphasises the autumnal colours of yellow and green, while the bright prism-like light refracted between the clouds enshrouds the scene. As a result, the painting is infused with the richness and depth of a fine wine, immersing the viewer in a romantic atmosphere.

Geometric Rhythms with Undulating Order

The composition of the painting extends the horizontal perspective, purposefully drawing out the line of sight from the hill in the foreground, through the buildings and trees in the middle ground to the river in the background. In this way, multiple viewpoints interweave to create a clear sense of depth. At the same time, Yun Gee uses geometric forms to highlight the balance and proportions of the European-style buildings. For example, the red building on the right is modeled on the Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal Church near Saint-Cloud Station in Paris, with the artist exquisitely interpreting its iconic conical-shaped dome, decorative round columns, and the long-tiled structure of its corridor. In the foreground, the small tree, dog, couple, and large tree are carefully arranged based on the varying heights and placement of the buildings, with each one on the same horizontal arc plane but casting different sized shadows, creating a spatial rhythm replete with charm.

Remembering Where We Held Hands, Timeless Green-Blue Water

In Returning Home Yun Gee reworks a solitary male figure leading a horse from a 1938 painting into a gentleman in a suit holding a cane, strolling shoulder-to-shoulder with his lover, as their dog follows behind. The scene evokes the artist's own life with his wife. The image of the couple in a lifelong partnership adds an autobiographical element to the painting, while revealing the artist's profound longing for "happiness."

Price estimate:
HKD 2,200,000 - 3,200,000
USD 282,100 - 410,300