White Figure, White Ground

White Figure, White Ground is the first novel by Canadian author Hugh Hood. It was first published in 1964 by Ryerson Press. One of the main themes in the novel surrounds libertinism, as the main character attempts to distinguish between libertinism which he despises and an acknowledgment of his sexual being. The story is about a painter, Alexander McDonald heading for international fame returns to his childhood home in Nova Scotia to confront his memories through his painting.

White Figure, White Ground

First edition
Author	Hugh Hood
Original title	White Figure, White Ground
Cover artist	Martin Handweiler
Language	English
Publisher	Ryerson Press
Publication date	1964
Publication place	Canada
Media type	Print
Pages	246 pages
Followed by	The Camera Always Lies

Plot and setting

The novel is set in Nova Scotia, Montreal and New York City during the early 1960s. Alexander MacDonald, a talented young Canadian painter raised in Toronto but now based out of Montreal, travels with his wife Madeleine to his father's ancestral hometown of Barringford (based on Barrington, Nova Scotia) in search of inspiration for his increasingly sought-after paintings. He becomes acquainted with long-lost relatives and attempts to solve the mystery of his father's sudden departure from the town decades earlier.