Kunsthandel M.L. de Boer, Amsterdam, no. 9833, in 1972. In 1904, Jan Sluijters won the Prix the Rome. This governmental allowance gave him an opportunity to study abroad for four years, starting in Rome. Here Sluijters studied the Old Masters, but after some time he felt the need to expand his horizon. He travelled to Spain and eventually ended up in Paris in 1906, where he arrived just in time to see the most important exhibition of the year: The Salon des Indépendants. The vibrant artistic environment in Paris at that time provided Sluijters with the inspiration he was looking for. The Fauves were starting to gain popularity, the first general exhibition of Van Gogh's work was being held and also Van Dongen's art was subject of an important exhibition. By meeting many inspiring artists, Sluijters let go of all the rules the Academy had taught him. Paris was painted in (the midst of) this period and is therefore an excellent example of Sluijters' emerging personal style, in which he combined and transformed elements of the Fauves, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Impressionists.