Absinthe, is a clear, anisette flavored liquor extracted from the herb wormwood, Artemisia Ansinthium, which was widely consumed by bohemians, artist and writers on the France of the XIX century.
L’Absinthe by Edgar Degas is the most famous painting depicting the intoxicating effect of Absinthe. L’Absinthe in 1876; portrays two people at nearby tables whose isolation and loneliness are apparent and it was widely criticized for its theme and composition.
Originally the name of the painting entitled Dans un Café. The man in the paintings is a friend of Degas called Marcelline Desboutin, who was an artist himself and had studied under Couture.
Desboutin is not even drinking absinthe the brown drink front of him has been identified as black coffee in a glass tumbler, a so-called ‘Mazagran’.
The place was a Parisian Café Nouvelle Athenes in Place Pigalle.
L’Absinthe by Edgar Degas
