Bendall's formation took place in Paris in 1927. In this period, Fauvist influences became apparent in her work whilst attending the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where she met Marquet and befriended Matisse. Zola's definition of a work of art as a 'corner of nature seen through a temperament' could hardly be more appropriate than in the case of Mildred Bendall. Using painting as a meditative activity, Bendall applied colour as a means of creating forms and space, as well as expressing her feelings and suggesting mood. Bouquet and Harbour combines her expressive flower paintings, which are always richly decorative and sumptuous, with the compositional inventiveness characteristic of her boat and harbour scenes. 'She certainly deserves as honourable place alongside Marquet and Dufy' - John Russel Taylor, The Times 1987.