Born in Germany, he was influence by French and German Impressionism
early in his career. He was later exposed to Cubism in Paris in 1913
and began to experiment with abstract art. He came to Texas in 1935
as chairman of the Baylor University Art Department, a position he
held for fifteen years. In the 1940s he bought a home in Taos and
this work dates from one of his frequent stays there.