Max Beckmann discovers a large part of his motives during the twenties in night clubs and in the circus. The excessive night life, especially in Berlin during these times, has a nearly magic attractiveness for the artists living there. The scene depicted here in a tavern that was operated by Russian emigrants has little to do with the reality of the pwersons represented. The sitting figure in the foreground is Natalia, a beautiful woman from Beckmann's circle of friends who lived in Berlin and Frankfurt. She was often portrayed by him. A concentration on the faces of the represented figures is very clear and becomes one of the prominent stylistic features of Max Beckmann's works.