Amiet trained in his native Switzerland before studying in Munich and then at Academie Julian in Paris, where he met the Nabi artists. He befriended O’Conor and Seguin while staying at Pension Gloanec in Pont-Aven from May 1892 to June 1893. This etching, with its strong lines, can be compared with the style of Seguin and O’Conor, though it is closer still to that of Bernard. His painter friends from Pont-Aven encouraged him to try his hand at etching. As Amiet had not yet mastered the etching technique, he had to make several attempts to obtain this result. The truncated framing of the cows also show the influence of Japanese art.