ArtistsNetwork.com 7POTTER PALMER COLLECTION, THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO“Sunlight, as I have discovered,” said
Hitchcock, “is pale blue in tone.”
That blue tone suffuses the painting,
attainingitsmostchromatic
expressioninthegirl’sapron.Part of the charm of Flower Girl in Holland lies in the tension
between atmosphere and attention to detail. Panoramic space
is satisfyingly contrasted to foreground textures. Soft edges
and diffused shadows are balanced with the stark trees and
precise architectural description. Ultimately, the painting’s
culminationisreservedfortheflowersthegirlhascarried
fromthefields,theirsaturatedcolorsmutedbyshadow.
FlowerGirlinHollandisa pleasingpainting,constructeduponaninterestingcompositional
armature.Atleft,a windingstreamandbaretreesstagedatirregularintervalsleadtheeyeinto
thedistance.Atright,thefacadeofa redbrickbuildingformsanimmovablebookend.Atthe
exact center stands a girl carrying bouquets of brightly colored flowers. She has stopped, her
head upturned, presumably in conversation with someone inside the house. Hitchcock locked
her into the design by several devices, including the horizon line that runs through her eye.