L'Absinthe
Edgar Degas · 1875
Why it's great
A woman and a man sit side by side at a Paris café, yet each seems lost in their own lonely thoughts. Degas placed them off-center and tilted the tables, as if a camera snapped the scene by accident. Viewers in 1876 were not used to such honest, unglamorous pictures. It remains famous for showing the quiet sadness that can exist inside a busy city.
Where to see it
📍 Musée d'OrsayParis, France
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
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Edgar Degas was born in Paris to a well-to-do family and lived there almost all his life. He's linked to the Impressionists, but preferred to work indoors, painting ballet dancers, racehorses, and women at their daily routines. He loved to catch unusual angles, as if a camera had snapped the scene. In old age his eyesight failed and he turned to sculpture.
