Monkman adopts the Old Masters style of painting because he likes how the style expresses emotions like grief and longing through the body and facial expression. He was particularly moved by Antonio Gisbert's "Execution of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach at Málaga" (1888). On a project beginning in 2017, Monkman and his team began working on a "protesters series" based on the Standing Rock protests where they combined photographs from the protest with classic battle scene paintings. His team then had models pose for a photo shoot to remake and capture the classic style with modern subject; these photographs were then projected on large canvas, traced and base-painted by assistants before Monkman did his finishing touches.