Axel was the first of the Olson brothers who, with the help of patronage, had the opportunity to study abroad. He traveled to Berlin, which was a significant art city at the time, where, among others, Alexander Archipenko had a painting school. During a period, Archipenko had specialized in female bodies, powerful and rhythmic, which became a model for his students.
In the exhibition catalog for "Halmstadgruppen 60 years," Axel's notes are quoted: "... But we admire Archipenko, even though he has specialized in women. Because he has turned art into his specialty. I don't take his naturalistic nonsense too seriously anymore... I was at his home today in his studio... he shows me around among his things... He unveils his latest big painting! An abstract female sculpture! In brass, copper, silver, wood. It's the most beautiful thing I've seen from him so far. It's not finished yet, but it's a marvel of space, plasticity, balance, and feeling, and above all, it's interesting as material... 'I thought you worked more naturalistically,' I say. 'But this isn't nature.' – 'No, I work in many different ways. ...But if you can't work naturalistically, you can't make my abstract things,' he continues... Then he shows me his model studies. Mighty, swelling with power, rhythmic, and artistic. This is certainly nature but spiritualized and composed."
"Kvinnofigur i grått och svart" ("Female Figure in Gray and Black") shows influences from both Russian and French contemporary art. In Berlin, the major galleries were showcasing artists like Malevitch, Kandinsky, Chagall, as well as Picasso, Braque, and Leger, all of whom made an impression on the young Swede.