The Absinthe Drinker Édouard Manet (1832-1883)

Description of the painting "Absinthe Lover" by Edouard Manet

This painting happened spontaneously. It was never planned by the artist. He simply met the man one day and, after hearing of his plight, offered to pose for the painting. And he did not refuse. He came to the appointed place and stood for hours in a given pose, the money was still rolling in his pocket.

And Manet tried and thought that this particular canvas would bring him success.

But what could bring him success? Yes, Manet had stepped back from his previous historical works and as if he had returned to life, to reality. But what did he find so attractive about this man that he immediately decided to paint him? Poverty, alcohol addiction or something else? Probably the latter.

Manet portrayed this man drinking, or already drunk, but without losing his human dignity. This is exactly what the artist wanted to show. And when the canvas was finished, Manet first decided to show the work to his teacher, Coutur, but the latter quite negatively commented on the canvas and soon did not allow it to be exhibited at the exhibition at all (his vote was decisive in the jury). But Manet didn’t give up, he stubbornly believed that this particular canvas should be the most powerful of all his works. No one ever really saw this painting, but those who did were surprised, offended or simply passed on in silence. But Manet’s quarrel with his teacher did not go unnoticed. It happens so that two people who understood each other from half-tones suddenly became enemies and, moreover, forever. Manet would no longer communicate with his mentor after such harsh criticism. And he always succeeded.

And what about the canvas? It was not lost or destroyed. It is now quite expensive, but then it was this work greatly changed the creative path of Edouard Manet. In any case, for a long time the artist was looking for his way, a new path in the works.