In this work, Chase focuses on a familiar late nineteenth-century theme of children at play. Usually noted for his lavish and exotic interiors, in Hide and Seek Chase emphasised economy of object and understatement of colour; creating a composition that is at once radical and mysterious. Only four objects are included - a chair, a picture or mirror frame, an oriental curtain, and the door jamb or curtain behind which a young girl is hiding while she watches her playmate. We are drawn by the rapt attention of this child while at the same time, our eye moves to the second child, delicately positioned on the diagonal, illuminated by a sliver of light coming from behind the curtain.
The influence of photography can be seen in the unusual cropping in the lower left corner and the surprising expanse of space that dominates this picture. Abandoning a traditional compositional scheme in favour of one that suggests the accidental moment, Chase adopted for himself photography's intimacy and immediacy of expression.
[Oil on canvas, 27⅝ x 35⅞ inches]
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