Painted around 1936, Matter created this focused composition in four colors, red, green, black, and white. Revealing her influence of studying with Hans Hofmann, Mercedes references that of a still life on top of a table, using objects from life as a way into her abstract painting. While some of the lines and shapes still suggest some depth of space, Matter omits a variation of values, flattening out each color block, and making what starts out as a still life an abstract composition of forms. A rebellious personality, Matter expresses what she would continue to come back to in this gem of a painting from her early career.