Sculptor Ossip Zadkine studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, later teaching himself Cubism and African sculpture. The figures in vertical and horizontal groups seen in this work evoke Cubism or architectural structures, and are a characteristic also found in several works from his later years. Most of these works, like this one, are recognizable as human figures at a glance. The intertwined grid-like structure connects to the images of plant stems and roots that were frequent themes in his work. On the other hand, the shadows and voids created by the overlapping grids suggest influence from Cubism. The surface effects created by the protrusions and hollows he frequently used in his sculptures interestingly result in expressions similar to flat Cubist paintings.