This was an important time in the career of this artist who had recently moved to Paris from Eastern Europe and was now working within a melting pot of talent and creativity. He sensibly chose a particular district of the city which was a little rough and ready but also housed a number of like minded individuals. He would live in close proximity to Leger and Modigliani, for example, during this period. His work quickly became brighter in tone and he also became interested in some of Western Europe's more contemporary movements that were just in their infancy at this time. He had essentially timed his arrival in France perfectly and was now able to use it to his advantage as his career continued to progress.
If we take a look directly at this composition, we find a tall figure in the foreground with a baby around their stomach area, linking to the theme of maternity. They wear a tall, traditional looking outfit and hold a hand to their face. Further back we find another figure alongside an animal, most likely a goat or similar. There is also a face lurking in the distance, seemingly floating around in a menacing way nearer the top of the layout. There certainly feels a Russian style to the content here, almost akin to the work of Malevich.
This is a lesser known piece within the collection of MoMA in New York, USA. They own thousands of items which are far too many in number to be displayed all at the same time. Therefore they are rotated frequently, as well as sometimes loaned out to other institutions across the US, as well as sometimes abroad. They have built up strong relationships with related galleries around the world, such as the Tate Modern in London, and are therefore able to host major exhibitions that can sometimes visit several different countries over the period of six to nine months. These relationships help to draw more work from a single artist together, and ultimately the residents of both nations will benefit from having more comprehensive displays of work together at the same time. One artwork that will rarely be rotated or loaned out is the extraordinary post-impressionist piece by Vincent van Gogh, named Starry, Starry Night.
