For Tom Wesselmann's art the influence of Henri Matisse's late work gained importance as early as in the 1960s. Matisse's "Gouaches découpées" inspired him to the fundamental types of his creation, which also guided his future work. This becomes particularly visible in the genres nude and still life, in motifs such as windows, flowers and fruits rendered in bright colors and with clear contours, the vibrant lines and the balance between positive and negative forms. Wesselmann strives for results that "explode on the wall, and in this respect Matisse was of decisive influence" (Thomas Zacharias, in: Künstler. Kritisches Lexikon der Gegenwartskunst, Munich 1998, p. 7).