Soutine was born into a Jewish family in a remote village and grew up in adversity amidst social discrimination and poverty. In Paris, to which he moved to escape that plight, he initially suffered extreme poverty and isolation, but his abilities were gradually discovered by galleries and collectors. The violently rough colors and lines that dog his paintings reveal human suffering and insecurity. In 1923, he moved to Cagnes, in the south of France, where his compositions became more stable and his palette brighter. This painting is from his Cagnes period. The tree, road, and house are violently twisted, but the color scheme gives a sense of the bright sunlight of southern France.