Nicholson returned to painting Cubist-inspired still lifes in the 1940s. In this work the flattened planar representation of the table-top objects contrasts with the textural ground on which they are depicted. This creates a complex spatial structure within the image. Pared-back underpainting against flat areas of colour became a distinguishing feature of Nicholson's work. This developed out of his practice of reworking earlier paintings. Often the original composition was reduced to a simple textural ground for the later image. The still life paintings of this period resolve the formal considerations of Nicholson's pure abstractions with his interest in Cubism. The composition of this work balances abstraction and representation owing much to Nicholson's awareness of the work of Mondrian and Braque.