Born in Honolulu, Cornelia Macintyre Foley began her studies at the University of Hawaii, and later attended the University of Washington and Slade School of Fine Art in London. At the time she painted Hawaiian Woman in White Holoku, Foley was much influenced by the figural monumentality and compositional boldness found in the paintings of the Mexican artist Diego Rivera.

The large figure of the young woman is elongated and distorted, creating a rhythmic sense of movement. Her flexed legs are crossed at the ankles, her left foot is tucked neatly under her thigh, and her right arm continues the sloping curve of her shoulders. Flowers, leaf forms, and sinewy plant tendrils surround the woman and move the viewer's eye around this dramatic composition in a continuous swirling motion.

Oil on canvas by Cornelia Macintyre Foley, 1937. 8 x 10 in. reproduction with a double mat, packaged.