Juan Gris (Madrid, 1887 – Boulogne-sur-Seine, France, 1927) began his career making humorous illustrations with a German influence for several Spanish publications. In 1906 he moved to Paris. Daniel Vázquez Díaz introduced him to the residents at the Bateau-Lavoir, where Gris established his studio. He entered into the Cubist circle along with Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, and critics Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, and André Salmon. Initially he earned a living illustrating magazines such as the Catalan publication Papitu and French magazines L’Assiette au Beurre, Le Charivari, Le Rire,and Le Cri de Paris.

By 1910 he was painting full time. After a stay in Céret, along with Picasso and Manolo Hugué, he moved to Colliure. He introduced the technique of papier collé into his canvases, researched chiaroscuro, and the simultaneously constructive and figurative character of the painted image. After World War I, during a period of great productivity, his painting became more rational as he became a master of Synthetic Cubism. In the 1920s he collaborated with Diaguilev designing sets and costumes for his ballets. During the final years of his short life Gris wrote several theoretical texts: Notes sur la peinture [Notes on Painting](1923), Des possibilities de la peinture [The Possibilities of Painting](1924) and Réponse à l’enquête chez les cubists [Response to the Questionnaire Circulated by Cubists](1925).