Hodgkins travelled in Spain from 1935-6 and although usually dated around 1939, this work relates stylistically to several other gouaches she painted during this period. It shows characteristics of a new phase which emerged in her work around 1928-30 and later became an important aspect of her oeuvre - the still life-landscape. ‘Chairs and Pots’ features an abstracted composition with Hodgkins’ distinctive spatial ambiguity. Rippling and reflections around the central chair leg suggest the group is standing in water. This is contrasted against the flat background, on which shadows of the objects are visible, implying a studio arrangement. This ambiguity is juxtaposed with the overall tonal harmony created by the blue palette.