L’Absinthe by Degas: The Ugly Side of the Belle Epoque

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L’Absinthe by Degas: The Ugly Side of the Belle Epoque
In honor of the exceptional Manet/Degas exhibition currently showing at the Musée d’Orsay, we’re taking a deeper look at one of the incredible paintings on display. Edgar Degas painted L’Absinthe in 1875-76, in the early days of the Belle Époque, but it is absolutely not a painting which reflects the fun and glamor of that heady era. In fact, at its first showing, it was deemed so shocking that it was hidden away in storage and not shown again for over a decade. Even then, critics still railed that it was a bleak work which presented a degrading view of humanity. The story of this piece, now in the permanent collection at the Musée d’Orsay, has much to say about the less glamorous side of Paris in the late 19th century. Originally titled Dans un Café, the painting shows two down-at-heel people sitting gloomily in a café in the early morning after a long night out. The woman is wearing quite a fashionable dress and hat, but both are shabby and her drooping shoulders and listless stare create a dismal mood. In front of her sits a glass of absinthe. The man sitting next to her, scruffily dressed in black, has a brown drink in front of him, perhaps mazagran, a cold coffee beverage which was often taken as a hangover cure. Although they seem to be sitting together, neither takes any notice of the other. Both are lost in their own melancholy thoughts and the bleak atmosphere is compounded by the painting’s colors: black, browns and greys, barely relieved by cream and small dabs of washed out green and yellow. Edgar Degas, L’Absinthe. (1875–1876). Public Domain The two figures were modeled by friends of Degas, the actress Ellen Andrée and the artist Marcellin Deboutin, but his depiction of them as down-and-outs, much the worse for wear, was so convincing that their reputations suffered and Degas was forced to issue a statement confirming that neither was an alcoholic. Those seeing the painting soon after it was finished would have immediately recognized the setting as the Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes, a popular café in the Place Pigalle in  Montmartre which was frequented by many of the artists and writers of the day, including Degas himself. The painting was actually completed in his studio, but Degas must surely have done preparatory sketches in situ in the café. Ellen Andrée (1856 – 1933), actrice française de théâtre. Nadar. The painting was first exhibited at the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876 and was so disliked by critics, who called it “ugly and disgusting,” that it was hidden away for 15 years. At its next showing, in 1892 at the Grafton Gallery in London, the reaction was, if anything, worse. Critics regarded it as an affront to morality. Walter Crane, writing in the Westminster Gazette, certainly didn’t mince his words, despite a grudging recognition of the artist’s technical skills: “Here is a study of human degradation, male and female, presented with extraordinary insight and graphic skill, of squalid and sordid unloveliness, and the outward and visible signs of the corruption of society.”
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Lead photo credit : The Absinthe Drinker, Edgar Degas (1876), Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France. Photo: Wikiart, public domain

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After a career teaching Modern Languages (French and German), Marian turned to freelance writing and is now a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, specializing in all things French and – especially! – Parisian. She’s in Paris as often as possible, visiting places old and new, finding out their stories and writing it all up as soon as she gets home. She also runs the podcast series City Breaks, offering in-depth coverage of popular city break destinations, with lots of background history and cultural information. The Paris series currently has 22 episodes, but more will surely follow when time allows!

Comments

  • Keith Van Sickle
    2023-05-19 09:30:33
    Keith Van Sickle
    That's an interesting statement about absinthe and Algeria, though I believe the Swiss would disagree with you. Many sources point to the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland as being the place of origin of this distilled spirit.

    REPLY

    • Marian Jones
      2023-07-21 03:55:03
      Marian Jones
      Ah, I did not know that! The Algerian connection was certainly key to the take-up of absinthe in 19th century Paris, but it's interesting to note that its history goes back further still.

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  •  Hazel Smith
    2023-05-18 11:59:12
    Hazel Smith
    Hi Marian - The proprietor of l'Eurydice in Paris's 5th Arrondissement, an absinthe bar featuring over 70 brands of absinthe made from original recipes, assures me that it is the high alcohol content that gives absinthe it's reputation, not the compound found in the wormwood. Great article!

    REPLY

    • Marian Jones
      2023-07-21 04:04:17
      Marian Jones
      Thanks, Hazel, I'm glad you enjoyed the piece and impressed at your assiduous follow-up! Next time I'm in the 5th arrondissement, I may well check out l'Eurydice - sounds like quite a place.

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  • Barnaby Conrad
    2023-05-17 08:34:49
    Barnaby Conrad
    Dear Marian Jones, You did a fine job of writing about Degas's painting and the the phobia surrounding Absinthe in the late 19th century. I was surprised to learn that the big MANET-DEGAS exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay did not include Edouard Manet's masterpiece, "Le Buveur d'Absinthe,"1859, which is in the Glyptotek, Copenhagen. Nevertheless, the Green Fairy lives on... Best regards, Barnaby Conrad III author of ABSINTHE: History in a Bottle (1988)

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    • Marian Jones
      2023-07-21 04:09:06
      Marian Jones
      Thanks, Barnaby. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. Your book sounds really interesting and I notice it has some great reviews on Amazon.

      REPLY