Kees Maks was older than most of the artists in this museum's collection. He had lessons from Breitner, the famous painter of Amsterdam city life. With sizeable brushstrokes and an expressive colour palette, he painted his subjects very large. Circus and cabaret fascinated him greatly, and dancers, singers, horse riders, clowns and bullfighters were his favourite themes. It is known that Kees Maks had scenes recreated in the Carré theatre, and required artists to stand still in particular poses which appealed to him most. Kees Maks painted this dancer, Sotomayor, several times. The dancers, together with four figures in the background, are robustly assembled from coloured areas. Nuances of the colour red dominate and contrast with clear white. This colourful painting was one of the first to be purchased by the founders of the museum.