This compelling depiction of a grieving woman is a study for Herman's larger canvas of the same title, begun in the 1970s and reworked in the late 1990s. However, the study also relates back to a similar drawing produced in 1945. This version was used on the cover of his wife Nini Herman's novel 'Vellogria', published in 1993. The gesture of the woman with raised arms reflects Herman's lifelong appreciation of Goya, particularly The Black Paintings (Spanish: Pinturas negras), the name given to a group of 14 paintings created by Goya between 1819 and 1823. They portray intense, haunting themes, reflecting his fear of impending insanity and his pessimistic outlook on humanity.