Glass Of Absinthe Painting

A few objects have been placed on them two rolled up newspapers a matchbox a carafe and a glass of absinthe.

Glass of absinthe painting. The absinthe was poured into a heavy shaped glass and then a specially designed slotted spoon was laid on top. Other early titles were a sketch of a french cafe and figures at cafe. The ratio was normally one part absinthe to 3 5 parts water. Edgar degas absinthe drinker features a female drinking quietly in the cafe de la nouvelle athenes in paris which became very well known in the french capital after the release of this painting in 1876.

This small but exquisite painting was produced during that critical two months which turned out to be pivotal for modern art when picasso and braque shared a studio at ceret. In this version he broke new ground by incorporating an existing object into his sculpture. Henri de toulouse lautrec monsoire boileau at the cafe 1893 in toulouse lautrecs portrait of monsoire boileau the artist captures the atmosphere of the parisian cafe of course starring a glass of absinthe while his painting vaudville dancer is awash with a green tinge. Apart from degas the cafe was also frequented by van gogh and matisse.

The painting was sold to opera singer jean baptiste faure in 1906 and exhibited at the statens museum for kunst in copenhagen in 1914 when it was acquired for the ny carlsberg foundation. Its original title was dans un cafe a name often used today. The painting depicting the interior of a parisian cafe with a lady sitting by a table a distant sad look on her eyes and with a glass of absinthe in front of her next to her a man who hardly seems present to anybody but the glass of quinquina at his table stirred up controversy when it was displayed at the third impressionist exhibition in 1877. A real absinthe spoon nestles between the modeled bronze sugar cube and glass.

Beside her to her left sits a rather scruffy looking marcellin gilbert desboutin who was a painter author and printmaker. The glass of absinthe was a late addition between 1867 and 1872. Galleries picasso cast six bronze copies of glass of absinthe from a wax original and decorated each of them uniquely. The new title helps one remember exactly this painting from the collection produced by this exceptional french artist.

While the cubist experiment is as rigorous here as if it were picasso the lyrical touches of colour and the illusionism of the grapes are very much braque. In the same way that toulouse lautrec 1864 1901 was drawn to paint the people who performed and mingled in parisian night clubs and theatres so degas was fascinated by lower class women. A sugar cube was then placed on the slotted spoon and iced water dripped over the cube. The french tradition of drinking absinthe was a masterpiece in detail.

The center of the painting depicts the actress ellen andree looking down sullenly at a glass of absinthe.