In Situ: The Painted Panels

A "Floating" Bouquet in the Tradition of Hassam

Metcalf chose to present these cosmos casually, arranged without apparent care as to how each one might be shown to its best advantage. The off-center position of the vase and the asymmetry of the various white, pink, and gold blooms moves one’s eye about and keeps the bouquet from appearing static. (Perhaps the flowers were selected from Miss Florence’s gardens behind the house which have been recently replanted.) The white highlights on the glass bowl (a rather larger bowl than one might expect) as well as the sweeps of grays and tans tease that a reflection of the room might be discernable on its surface. An unusual artistic choice is that the bouquet rests on no table or ledge but appears to float against a background painted to look like wood. (Metcalf’s friend Childe Hassam also “floated” a floral still life in a similar manner on one of his dining room panels)