Matisse is here not only able here to summarize features of his own art developed over his carreer, but to also allude to his predecessors and colleges as well, such as Picasso and Delacroix, without resulting to specific quotation. His medium was pre-painted sheets of cut-paper, which was derived from cubism a half century earlier. The blending and contrasting of blues, greens, magentas, and yellows in this piece shows Matisse's mastery over the years.