Chase returned to Paris for the turn-of-the- century celebrations. He had withdrawn from the "art world' ( he didn't pursue exhibitions or representation, but simply wanted to a space to think about his work and what it meant to him.) On his return, he began to work with the ideas of modernism that had so influenced him when he first began painting. What followed were 4 years of pursuing various possiblities. By 2005 he realized the grid had been a central element in his development and it began to influence him more and more.