These paintings are studies for a series Catto did on the myth of Persephone and Pluto. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld, and subsequently vanished from Earth. Her mother, Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, went wild with grief and neglected her duties, plunging the world into famine. She roamed Earth and eventually found Persephone in the underworld and brokered a deal with Hades to return her only child for six months of the year. So, the six months that Persephone is with her mother comprise spring and summer. When she is with Hades, her mother shuts down the growing season, and fall and winter follow suit.