Having abandoned painting for nearly a decade, Polke's return to the medium in the early 1980's was accompanied by a thorough re-examination of the content of his images, and an extraordinary resourcefulness in the use of materials. Executed in 1986-1988 Elena's Schuhe exemplifies Polke's main concerns during this period. Having experimented with a wide variety of substances and supports, and having dramatically increased the size of his paintings to accomodate his expansive flow, Polke was able to extract new meanings from borrowed images which he juxtaposed and overlayed. Polke's preoccupation with pigments, their chemical composition and transformation, and the history of their expanded implications and symbolic meaning, make him a modern day alchemist.

Elena's Schuhe belongs to Polke's famous series in which he uses patterned fabric instead of canvas. The cloth is employed as an integral part of the work to which the paint is applied directly. The surface itself, with lilac and pink paint running over the centre of the work, appears random but at the same time balanced. Combined with the white areas, the effect highlights Polke's preference for the decorative and ornamental structures. The superimposed veil that outlines the dot-like particles with a shiny enamel varnish, demonstrates further his obsession with creating a transparent effect in his paintings. Seen as a whole Elena's Schuhe is a brilliant example of Polke's ability to combine rich fabrics with painted ornamental forms that can be interpreted either as floral, cosmic or explosive.