In Paris the artist evolved his own particular aesthetic. This was the period when he created the classic image of the femme fatale through a highly individual style in which light and the application of colour give life to the vaporous, ethereal women who peopled the city’s night spots.

From 1898 Anglada-Camarasa became involved in the Parisian art scene and his friend Baca-Flor introduced him to Josep Oller’s cabarets, which became the principal subject of his paintings throughout this lengthy phase of his career. Anglada-Camarasa took to the streets of Paris in order to depict evocative moments from its night-life, and women became one of his principal pictorial motifs. He began to express this interest through numerous oil sketches from life, painted on small panels that could easily be carried around during his night-time excursions. Painted with a vigorous, dynamic brushstroke, they aim to capture the essence of a fleeting moment.