PROVENANCE:

Collection of Li-lan Gee, the artist's daughter, New York
Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei

EXHIBITED:

Yun Gee, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, August 20 - September 5, 1995

ILLUSTRATED:

Yun Gee, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, 1995, color illustrated, pp. 22-23

Yun Gee is one of the key figures in Chinese art of the 20th century, being one of the earliest Chinese artists to explore the avant-guard movement of American modernism. He also explored modern avant-guard art theory the most deeply among overseas Chinese painters. In the latter half of the 1920's, he developed his perception of Cubism and geometric partition, combining it with the linear expression of the Futurist industrialized vortex style, dramatically solving and enriching the meditational geometric layout of Chinese traditional painting.

Although Yun Gee left California for Paris and New York, developing new painting styles at each stage, his "San Francisco Period" has long been enshrined in 20th century American art history. When historians study the art development of the West Coast, Yun Gee figures as the most important Chinese-American artist.

"Lady in Pink Hat", although undated, is considered to belong to Yun Gee's "San Francisco Period" (1925-1927) because of its style. Bright color clumps create an abstract half-length portrait. The artist uses warm and cool, dark and light, contrasting colors to express the outline of the figure's face and clothes, with a pink hat hinting at the figure's gender and social status. Although a first viewing seems to indicate a lack of emotions, the artist's humorous observation and ingenious thoughts are clear at a closer perusal. With the Lady's colorful face as the centre of a circle, lines of brushwork radiate from the background and clothes, creating a musical rhythm where the visual focus becomes sharper. Yun Gee's contribution to modern painting can be seen in the "Lady in Pink Hat".