In the 1950's, Kobayashi's sister Fumiko took a position as Assistant to the American Ambassador to France. With her encouragement, Kobayashi traveled to Paris to continue his studies, living at a hostel for artists, Hotel de l'Académie on the Rue des St. Peres. Ideally situated within walking distance of both the Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre, the young artist was introduced to the work of many French as well as Japanese artists. The influence of Henri Mattise, Cezanne, and the Impressionists can be seen in Rue Des St. Peres, 1950.

Taking artistic license, the fleur de lis pattern that peppers the hotel's wallcovering is put on equal footing with the unpretentious table setting at the center of Rue des St. Peres, 1950. Ground and foreground dissolve into an all over patterning and uniformity. The seemingly haphazard placement of the pitcher, bottle and cup set within this highly stylized composition illustrates Kobayashi's knack for sprezzatura—the casual geometry of the objects belying the laborious nature of their rendering.