Working in the traditional genre of history painting, Dexter Dalwood merges art history and the pop-cultural in imagined scenes such as that in Jackie Onassis’ yacht in Jackie Onassis (2000) or Mao Tse-Tung's workspace in Mao Tse-Tung's Study (2000). Dalwood paints from collages he first creates out of printed matter, often appropriating elements from artists like Henri Matisse, Ed Ruscha, and David Hockney. In Gorky's Studio (2009)—from his "Endless Night" series, which depicted death scenarios of famous figures—the scene of the artist's suicide is obscured by a dense black field, recalling the work of Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still.