Pierre Soulages was first introduced to abstract art by Sonia Delaunay, whom he met during the Second World War. Although he had studied painting prior to the war, it wasn’t until 1946 that he was able to begin to paint steadily, and from 1947 onwards he began painting in a completely abstract style. Although Soulages is often associated with Art Informel, a movement that developed in postwar France (also known as Lyrical Abstraction), and Abstract Expressionism, which developed in parallel in America, Soulages rejects these comparisons, arguing that his art is less concerned with spontaneity or improvisation than a careful balancing of line and form to achieve a sense of visual harmony.