Cézanne – Luncheon on the Grass

This Cézanne painting shares both its title and composition with Manet's famous Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe.

Whether Cézanne gave it this title himself, or someone else did later, isn't definitively known. If it was named afterward, the resemblance in composition likely explains the choice; if Cézanne named it himself, it could be read as a tribute to Manet. He had, after all, previously painted a homage to another Manet masterpiece, Olympia, so a playful nod to Manet here isn't out of the question.

The two painters weren't especially close, but they did know each other, and Cézanne reportedly admired Manet as a groundbreaking artist. Still, since the title's true origin remains unclear, whether this painting is truly a tribute stays, for now, a matter of speculation.