One of the leading American early modernists, Charles Sheeler trained under William Merritt Chase at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before traveling to Paris in 1909. During his two months in the French capital, he encountered the work of avant-garde painters such as Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso. White Tulips, a rare early still life, reveals the formative influence of this art based on structural form, expressive color, and pictorial design.