In 1905-1907 Jawlensky visited Paris three times, usually around the time of the Salon d'Automne. In 1906 ten of his paintings were included in the Russian pavillion of the Salon. In 1905 he met Matisse, and in late 1906 or early 1907 he became close friends with Willibrord Verkade, the painter and monk who had known Gauguin and was a member of the Nabis circle during the 1890's.

In these years Cézanne was an important influence on Jawlensky, who attended the late great master's retrospective at the 1907 Salon. More significantly, however, the impact of Gauguin and certain elements of Nabis style is apparent. In the present portrait the shapes are flat, with very little modeling. The forms are defined purely by strong, contrasting color. By 1908 the artist had largely dispensed with the small, divided brushstroke he had taken over from the Neo-Impressionist technique and painted more expressively in broader forms.