Painter Mihaly Munkacsy was born into a family of Bavarian emigrants who moved to Hungary in the 18th century. He was born in the town of Munkacsy and later used that name as his pseudonym. The artist studied painting in Budapest, Vienna, Munich, and Dusseldorf. He moved to Paris in the early 1870s. His studio was visited by Mark Antokolsky and Ilya Repin. The painter was popular in Germany and France. His stylistic approach, which was at first similar to romanticism and the Biedermeier style, evolved significantly over the years. The works created during the master’s best period have a free manner of painting, a rich color scheme, and a virtuosic technique. “Composing a Bouquet” is a study for the large painting “Father’s Birthday”, created by Munkacsy in 1882. Its color scheme, free brush technique, and texture reveal the influence of impressionists, as the master was intrigued by their works. Similar works by Munkácsy were very popular among collectors.