Chaos was one of the first paintings created by Petrov-Vodkin upon his arrival in Paris in 1906. Between the two years he spent in Paris, Petrov-Vodkin produced prolific amounts of work, completing over 900 paintings and drawings. In the Academy Colarossi, he vigorously studied the human form, frenetically sketching in his books, perfecting his depiction of the human body. While in Paris, Petrov-Vodkin was deeply influenced by the painter Puvis de Chavannes, and imitated the artist’s stark palette and simplified composition.