This work depicts a candombe—a dance of African origin performed in South America. Pedro Figari, one of the founders of modernism in Uruguay, spent most of his life as a lawyer and public defender; he started painting at age sixty. In 1925, he moved to Paris, where he was influenced by the postimpressionist styles of Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) and Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940). Figari was an extremely prolific artist, and his works depict the Río de la Plata region. "My conviction, said the artist, has been to elevate our culture and make us love the American things that are so very much ours." Ilona Katzew, 2008
