Kline began as a figurative painter, but by 1950 was making vigorous, large-scale abstract paintings in black and white. His sense of space and insistence on flatness were particularly influenced by Japanese art and many of his works have a calligraphic feel. The bold directional marks in this painting also have a strong architectural sense, and it has been suggested that the work relates to an engraving of a clock tower by the nineteenth-century French artist Charles Meryon. Despite the spontaneous feel of his work, Kline often made small preparatory sketches before executing the larger paintings.