In 1919, after serving in the First World War, Derain returned to civilian life and painting. His aesthetic ideas thoroughly changed by his time at war, Derain launched himself into painting with renewed passion and ideas. Moving away from the bold colours and his interest in geometric shapes, the artist adopted softer tones and more fluid forms. The artist aimed to capture ‘the substance’ of the landscape with less ‘intention’ (letter to D-H Kahnweiler late September 1921), returning to his preoccupation with both the Old Masters, such as Raphael and the French landscape works of Corot. In the summer of 1921, the artist visited Italy and then later the South of France. This painting, executed in 1922, perfectly illustrates these changes. The vigorous rhythm of the trees are balanced with the warm ochre tones of the foreground, while the light blue of the windswept sky contributes to the overall softness of the painting, expressing the underlying presence of nature’s elemental forms.