In addition to street scenes and garden landscapes, Yun Gee often painted portraits - of deceased friends and relatives, historical figures like LaoTzu, Chuang Tzu and Yang-Kuei-Fei, self portraits and the 1940's series of nude women. He rarely used western myths, religion or western ancient relics as subjects. One of his earliest forays into religious painting was the 1926 "Jesus in my heart", a painting that inspired the 1933 "Last Supper", and was commissioned by St. Peter's Lutheran Church in the Bronx. The painting was done with bold colors, and although the church appreciated it, the media was highly critical of the work because it was too unconventional for its time. In 1934, Yun Gee participated in the 18th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists and submitted 4 of his portraits of religious saints - "Judas About", "Thomas About", "Bartholomew" and "Philip Below".

The "Madonna and Child" that is being put up for auction is a rarely seen religious painting done by Yun Gee. It was probably completed in or around 1943, after the birth of his only daughter Li-lan. When the Second World War erupted, Yun Gee's economic situation declined increasingly and he became depressed. His attempts to build a career in Paris failed and he was plagued by the turmoil going on in his native China. The birth of his daughter brought him great joy and hope. The "Madonna and Child" may have been modeled after his wife and newborn child or it may have been modeled after the basic value of human compassion. The worried expression on the Madonna's face and the vaguely discernible expression on the Child's face seem to represent an apprehension of the uncertainties of the future. A 1943 picture of Helen Gee nursing her daughter, taken on a New York street, shows a similarity in facial expressions between her and the Madonna. In spite of destitute conditions, Yun Gee persevered with his painting. The impact of many failures finally took its toll on Yun Gee's marriage and in 1945 Helen Gee left with their daughter, leaving a devastated Yun Gee behind. This could very well have been what inspired him to paint the melancholic "Madonna and Child".

Bibliography:

The Art of Yun Gee (exhibition catalogue), Taipei Arts Museum, 1992 Nancy Chou, Overseas Chinese Artist - Yun Gee, Fang-chih Publishing House, Taipei, 1999