Georges Braque was one of the major twentieth century European artists whose career spanned several decades and embraced some of the major modern art movements, notably Fauvism and Cubism. He developed Cubism together with Pablo Picasso in the first quarter of the twentieth century, experimenting with fragmentation and multiple perspectives. Braque returned to a more figurative approach in his work in the following decades. He concentrated on interior scenes and ordinary objects by giving them a monumental presence. Le poêle (The Stove), which Braque painted during the German occupation of France during World War II, shows random household items— a waste paper basket, a bucket of coal, a table, and a stove—in his studio in Paris. The intimate scene also includes a palette on the table, as if left there by the artist. The stove—which also gives its name to the painting—seems to fill the room with heat and light, which are implied by the warm yellow and ocher color used in the background.