An image is created in the film. The painter refers to this picture again and again, works on it, from the blank canvas to the last brushstroke. In between the story of 40 years of painting. Lothar Quinte tells of the beginnings of his abstract painting, based on the art-historical and social situation of the early 1950s. He describes the various artistic phases, tells of the crises and the search for new beginnings. Old film clips and photos of him accompany this story. Calm settings and observations in the studio make it possible to look into the atmosphere and the way the artist works.