The Artist's Daughter

A young girl peers out with large, curious eyes from behind a thriving plant. Sun dapples her face, blue dress, the soil, and the wall behind her. What does she see? Who or what does she watch? Is she playing hide-and-seek? The artist leaves these questions open-ended in a mysterious painting that rewards viewers who take a closer look. Tooker was as interested in the patterns of light and shadow, leaf and vine, and brick and mortar, as he was in the depiction of this girl. Who is she? Not the artist’s daughter, as the title claims. Tooker did not have any children and the title was teasingly suggested by a friend due to the girl’s vague resemblance to the artist himself.