Decorative Fragment, Sky and Sea

In the present work, Hitchens is experimenting with abstraction, challenging both the aesthetic dogmatism of the 1930s and, perhaps more importantly, his own artistic vision. Rare among Hitchens works as a vertical-format painting, Decorative Fragment, Sky and Sea creates a harmony between form and colour. Like many of his contemporaries, Hitchens was well aware of the artistic developments on the Continent, but one of his great abilities was the capacity to choose his own path and to stay true to his roots. The following year he had already moved on to another phase and was creating a new painterly language that would define him for the rest of his career.