Manet was born in Paris on January 23, 1832, the son of a high government official. While traveling through Europe to study the works of the old masters, he was principally influenced by the Dutch painter Frans Hals and the Spanish artists Diego Valezquez and Francisco Jose de Goya. He adopted a direct, bold brush technique in his treatment of realistic subject matter. His famous "Le dejjeuner sur l'herbe" ("Lunch on the Grass") was shown at the Salon des Refuses, a new exhibition place opened by Napoleon III. This painting, which portrayed a woodland picnic that included a seated female attended by two fully dressed young men,attracted immediate and wide attention, but was bitterly attacked by critics. Hailed by young painters as their leader, Manet became the central figure in the dispute between the academic and the rebellious art factions of his time.

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