Zhu Yuanzhi, Yun Gee (1906-1963) "In the park"

Oil on paperboard.

Signed in the lower left corner "Yun gee" and signed on the back. Dated in the left corner 6/19/26 with pencil.

Size: 49x39 cm

Throughout Yun Gee's artistic career, portraits and urban scenes are two relevant themes in his work. Over time, he also depicted the city and his everyday life. On many occasions he was also drawn to depicting the image of the park, a recurring theme during this period and later in the 1930s in New York. Yun Gee's landscapes are unique in their interpretation of composition, use of colour, proportion and perspective, which he employs to evoke glimpses of the world and create a fantastical atmosphere of his own.

The year 1926 was a key period in the development of her artistic career. Yun Gee held his first solo exhibition at the Modern Gallery, which was a great success and led him to meet Princess Achille Murat, who later sponsored him during a trip to Paris. That same year he completed the present painting, in which the direct influence of avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Synchronism are evident through the chromatic contrasts and use of geometric patterns. His artistic style is maturing and reveals his aspirations. The geometry of the composition is oriented around the shapes of the subjects, which points to Yun Gee's ability to express his personal style.

"In the Park" was painted during the period he lived in San Francisco (1921-1927). The composition is notable for its use of forms, light and colour that shape the space. The figures and space are configured by the sum of geometric patterns and light divided into facets of colour. The ochre, blue, red and green tones that make up the colour palette are in turn divided into multiple shades, making the strong colour harmonies seem to radiate movement, creating a sense of speed, rhythm and dynamism. At the same time, the artist uses shapes and dimensions to create a sense of depth to the scene.

The scene has been depicted from a very personal point of view. Firstly, there is a figure seated on the bench on the left-hand side, staring at the right-hand side of the park, out of shot. This figure is static and although he is inside the shot, his mind is outside. In contrast, the other figure on the left of the painting is in movement and takes part in the scene, although moments before he was out of the foreground, as he seems to have just strolled in by chance. It is no coincidence that both figures look away from the viewer, keeping their distance. Much of the space is taken up by the context of the park and the background where he depicts first a tree and in the distance some houses.

Instead of adhering to the pure formalism of the cubism of Georges Braque and Francis Picabia, the scene fluctuates between abstraction and figuration. The geometry of the composition is oriented around the forms of the subjects and the space. Through an exploration of colour, structure and subjective awareness, it reflects his early avant-gardism, which represents a pivotal period in the artist's career. The seated woman on the right has similarities to the work "Portrait of Dorr Bothwell" which he also completed in the same year. This portrait depicts the American painter Dorr Bothwell, a very important friend in Yun Gee's life whom he met during his time as a student at the California School of Fine Arts.

As an active participant in modernism, Yun Gee was inspired by the concepts that emerged between the 1920s and 1930s from artists such as Georges Braque (1882-1963) and Robert Delaunay (1885-1941). The latter, with the development of Orphism, influenced the American artists of the time to develop Synchromism, an artistic movement which, following the colour wheel, takes advantage of the interactions between the primary colours to add brilliance to their works. They also tend to make metaphorical references to the subconscious, dreams and poetry, while their narrative quality and perspective point to the legacy of traditional Chinese painting.

Provenance:

Acquired in the United States by Mr and Mrs Michon, a renowned Parisian art collector and biologist. Bequeathed to his daughter.

Acquired from the above by an important private Dutch collection.  

References:

Sotheby's, Hong Kong, April 6th 2014. Lot 557. Hammer price: € 583,296 (HKD 6,200,000)

Sotheby's, Hong Kong, April 2nd 2012. Lot 532. Hammer price: € 173,736 (HKD 1,800,000).

Christie's, Hong Kong, May 25th 2014. Lot 189 "Park Bench II (1927)". Hammer price: € 132,482 (HKD 1,400,000).

Notes:

Yun Gee, Zhu Yuanzhi, is a world-renowned artist who resided and travelled during his life on three different continents. His artistic career was marked by his experiences and their social and political implications, along with the relationships created with the places where he lived. Yun Gee was born in 1906 and grew up in a small village near Canton. At the age of 15 he moved to San Francisco in 1921 where he matriculated at the California School of Fine Arts. There he befriended members of the San Francisco avant-garde who established the Modern Gallery, which later became the San Francisco Art Center. In the same year he established the Chinese Revolutionary Artist' Club, where he offered theoretical classes and advanced painting techniques. It is likely that the first terms of the theory of "Diamantism" were developed during this period as teaching material.

In the early 20th century, in a context of growing political tensions and the introduction of Western cultures, Chinese artists discovered that traditional painting did not reflect the changing times. It was at this time that the debate on how to merge Western and Chinese culture arose. Chinese artists who travelled abroad and settled in the great art centres such as Paris, New York or San Francisco (among others) to study, overcame institutionalised racism and were able to evolve by merging their style with the movements that were developing at the time.

In this context and under the guidance of Otis Oldfield, they were introduced to European modernism through cubism, orphism and the American synchronist movement. His works during the San Francisco period (1921-1927) show an interest in abstraction and the use of geometric planes of pure colour. After his various experiences in San Francisco, Paris and New York, he developed his own individual style based on his ideas about the fusion of different artistic trends.

Honoured with the title of "pioneer of Chinese modernism", Yun Gee was the first artist of Chinese origin to explore the modern art of Europe and America. He mastered both Eastern and Western forms and promoted a set of artistic principles that bring together the spiritual, intellectual and practical aspects of painting. With Diamantism he reflected his interest in the process of perception and the possibility/impossibility of absolute truth.

Throughout his life, Yun Gee tirelessly investigated all avenues of creative expression. She had an abiding interest in dance and theatre. In the latter, he was active as a stage prop designer, scriptwriter, puppet designer and dancer at venues such as The Brooklyn Museum and The Institute of Chinese Studies. Gee was also an inventor, entrepreneur, chess player, collector and birdwatcher. He seemed to stretch out in all directions to investigate and discover all that life had to offer.

He had numerous individual exhibitions in major art centres such as San Francisco, Paris, New York and New Jersey during his life as an artist, which lasted from his arrival in San Francisco until his death from cancer in 1963. Subsequently, major exhibitions have been held in his honour and many of his works are present in museums, galleries and collections around the world. 

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