Ben Nicholson moved to Cornwall in 1939 with Barbara Hepworth and lived there for nearly 20 years. The view from his studio in St Ives looked across the rooftops towards the bay and Godrevy Point. Within this painting, the domestic interior of a still-life on a table extends beyond the window to the harbour and sea. Influenced by Cubist still-life with its use of familiar objects in abstracted ways, Nicholson combines a recognisable view of St Ives with abstract forms. His use of sgraffito is also seen here, with the 'engraved' line scratched into the wet paint with the handle of his brush.