Like all artists, Picasso was always conscious of the work of his predecessors, and he knew Manet's "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" (1863; Musée d'Orsay, Paris), bequeathed to the French nation in 1906. In 1961 and 1962 Picasso made at least half a dozen prints—inspired by Manet's famous painting, which was, in turn, largely based on Marcantonio's engraving after Raphael's "Judgment of Paris." Thus this composition is related to Picasso's many works on classical themes as well as to his depictions of men contemplating women, such as his myriad renditions of a painter and his model.
