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"Saint-Germain-en-Laye" was formerly owned by Li-lan Gee, Yun Gee's only daughter. The painting was completed in the late 1930's and belonged to the artist's "Second Paris Period". The title "Saint-German-en-Laye" refers to an area in the western suburbs of Paris on the left bank of the Seine renowned for its tranquility and culture.

At the encouragement of a French friend, Yun Gee traveled to Paris in 1927 to seek further development. There he visited the museums and met with many notables of Paris' art scene. Through exhibitions at art salons and galleries, his works became more polished and he developed his own unique creative style. He returned to the United States in 1930 because of the Depression and did not return to Paris until 1936. There he stayed until 1939 when war broke out in Europe and he returned to New York. According to Li-lan Gee's records, this work was one of the 37 works shown at his individual exhibition held at the Galerie A La Reine Margot in March 1938. The work was therefore most likely to have been completed some time between 1936 and 1938.

His exhibition at the gallery was a tremendous success and though there were 1000 copies printed of the exhibition catalogue it soon ran out. The art critic Pierre Mille wrote the foreword for the exhibition catalogue and he commented favorably on Yun Gee's new style:"Though China has been learning Western painting techniques from Europe for a long time this has in no way changed its essential character or style. Chinese oil painters' rich colors and diversity now rival European art though they suffer from being precise to the point of stiffness.

The painting techniques of Yun Gee were acquired in France and Italy but it is fundamentally still Chinese in nature. He has now created a new technique with a distinctive personal style...this was something that had not been tried before so his success was inevitable." (Nancy Chou, The Chinese Master Painter Yun Gee, Eurasian Publishing Co., Taipei, 1999, p. 243)

Before and after his individual exhibition at the Galerie A La Reine Margot Yun Gee's works were shown in group exhibitions at many Parisian galleries. There they were displayed with the works of other renowned European artists such as Modigliani, Pascin, Soutine and Vuillard. In 1938 his oil paintings achieved the distinction of being featured at the Salon des Tuileries and Salon d'Automne. His artistic creativity was quite well regarded and he enjoyed the support of many important collectors. By the late 1930's however instability in European politics and uncertainty in Paris meant that art and cultural activities came to a halt. He had no choice but to end his rising career in Paris and travel sorrowfully back to New York.

"Saint-German-en-Laye" continued the emphasis of color composition present in the earlier San Francisco period. His characteristic expertise with use of colors and supple brush strokes establishes the mood of the scene giving the entire painting a strong sense of flow. To this was added the narrative nature of literature and poetry, with the Surrealism popular in the European arts of the 1920's and 1930's also infused into the work. The distant landscape in the background was even suggested through the use of abstract colors. During his first New York period me observed the metropolitan lifestyle of the city and adopted "Panoramic" composition. This bird's eye view from the top down was also used to great effect in the painting. Through the painter's subjective perspective, changes in shapes, the turning of the lines and the contrast in brightness of colors all serve to give the castle and church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye a dream-like atmosphere. In the running puppy and long shadow we also see a touching reflection of the painter's feelings of loneliness and misfortune.

Yun Gee passed away after an illness in 1963.Not until the late 1990's was his artistic talent discovered by the Chinese world. When looking at Chinese artists of the US West Coast and the development of contemporary art, he is undoubtedly one of the most important figures. Commemorative exhibitions of Yun Gee's works have recently been held at Cambers Fine Art Gallery in New York (2002),the Pasadena Museum of Californian Art (2003),the Double Vision Gallery in Los Angeles and the Marlborough Gallery in New York (2005). His English biography Yun Gee:Poetry, Writings, Art, Memories is also now being published internationally. Perhaps the visionary spirit of innovation in Yun Gee's art will now finally rediscover its rightful place in the art world of the 21st Century!