Chillida’s friendship with the French painter began through the Maeght Gallery. Braque and Chillida worked and exhibited in the same gallery and both enjoyed critical success. Chillida recalled that time: “Braque was very friendly, very modest, great. The fact that he changed one of my sculptures when I was starting out tells you what sort of person Braque was. I wanted to give him a sculpture that he liked, and he wanted to buy it. I wouldn’t accept his money. For me it was a joy to give him a sculpture of mine that he had liked. I gave it to Maeght and said, “This is for Braque”, and when I returned two weeks later he was waiting for me. They told me that Braque was expecting me at six in the studio. I went, and Braque himself opened the door. Everything was against the wall except two small paintings, and he said to me “Which of those two is yours?” I understood, of course, and said to him: “celui de droite”. It already had a dedication and everything. “To Chillida, with my friendship”. That was Braque, a very special man, very introverted compared to other artists, like Picasso for example. All the paintings in Braque's studio rested against the wall. Nobody got to see them until they were finished. He was a highly ordered man, very serious, a really great person. He recommended that I read Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel.” In this book, Chillida read “desire twists the arrow”, a phrase that affected him greatly. It conveys the idea that the archer must detach themself from all desire to hit the bullseye. This is how the artist approached his works, particularly this one dedicated to Braque. He had no idea how it would turn out while working on it, until one day he saw that it was finished. A closer look at the lower part reveals the silhouette of a bird, and it was when Chillida discovered that shape that he declared his work complete. The painting gifted to him by Braque included a depiction of a bird, just as the Yunque de Sueños (Anvil of Dreams) gifted by Chillida to the French painter alluded to a bird in full flight.