Pierre Soulages was first introduced to abstract art by Sonia Delaunay, who he had met during World War II. Although Soulages is often associated with Art Informel, a movement which developed in postwar France, and Abstract Expressionism, which developed in parallel in the United States, Soulages rejected these comparisons. He argued that his art is less concerned with spontaneity or improvisation than a careful balancing of line and form to achieve a sense of visual harmony. In this painting, the verticality of the canvas is held tautly in place by two horizontal struts of black at the top of the composition, like two roofing beams. These beams contain between them three large black ovals, their liquid forms oozing beyond their horizontal confines.