L’Absinthe

E60935

L’Absinthe is a famous 1876 painting by Edgar Degas depicting two isolated café drinkers, often interpreted as a stark portrayal of modern urban alienation and the social effects of absinthe drinking in Paris.

Aliases (1)

Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf oil painting
painting
appliesToPart canvas
artisticFeature asymmetrical composition
cropped framing
off‑center figures
strong diagonal lines
use of reflected light
collection Musée d’Orsay collection
colorPalette muted tones
country France
creator Edgar Degas
depicts a glass of absinthe
café interior
modern Parisian café life
two seated figures
depictsCharacter Ellen Andrée
Marcellin Desboutin
depictsDrink absinthe
exhibitedAt Grafton Galleries
London
exhibitionHistory exhibited in London in the 1890s
genre genre painting
hasEffect moral panic about absinthe
public controversy
hasTheme effects of alcohol
modernity
urban ennui
inception 1876
influenced later depictions of urban alienation
influencedBy Parisian café culture
languageOfTitle French
locatedIn Paris
location Musée d’Orsay
mainSubject absinthe drinking
bohemian Paris
social isolation
urban alienation
materialUsed oil paint
movement Impressionism
notableFor controversial reception
psychological intensity
social commentary
setInPeriod late 19th‑century Paris
setInPlace Café de la Nouvelle Athènes
title In a Café
L’Absinthe
The Absinthe Drinker

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
L’Absinthe
L’Absinthe ("The Absinthe Drinker")
title
Edgar Degas
notableWork

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