Painting The absinthe drinker by Edgar Degas The absinthe drinker (French: L'Absinthe) is an impressionist painting by French painter Edgar Degas. The work is from 1876 and hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The painting shows a young woman behind a glass of absinthe and a man in shabby robes, lurking on a pipe. The composition is strongly asymmetrical. Initially called In a café, the painting was soon called Absinthe or The Absinthe Drinker. The work grew into a metaphor for the dark side of modern existence. It can be seen as an expression of the loneliness and harsh anonymity of modern city life. The woman with the glass of absinthe is Ellen Andrée and the man with the pipe is supposed to represent Marcellin Desboutin, a friend of Degas.
