A look at L'Absinthe by Edward Degas

L'Absinthe

Also known as In a Cafe is a well-known if not the most well known work of Edward Degas. Created on circa 1875 -76 via oil painting on the canvass. Aside from being famous its also a controversial piece. The first time it was put on exhibit, the painting was shunned upon. Some art historians even say people called in appalling. It was so bad that people had to take it out of exhibit. In the following year it was displayed again with negative criticism.

The painting was and has been afterwards symbolised the social isolation in Paris France at the time of its rapid growth. This grim scene of the lady and the gentlemen resting inside a café with gloomy expressions on their faces represents a sense of isolation, to some extent degradation as culture at that time implies that it was noon and they are well dressed at the height of day with nothing to do but drink alcohol.

The strokes of the painting and the over-all manner of the heavily handled paint indicates a strong sense emotional burden of the people in the painting. This sparked negative connotations of Paris and its residents as I've stated earlier.

I would say the value of this painting lies in its ability to influence a large group of people to the extent of nations into thinking of a different way towards people and in this case the city as well. On how a single picture can make people judge other people and their way of life in a negative way.

Judging art and its value has always been explicable weird and sometimes downright unexplainable. There was this most recent painting that was valued at $112 Million that looks like a work of a retarded child ( a painting I willl not name) however, this painting I can attest in my own humble unintelligent opinion to be a truly work of art.

Author's notes

This time we will veer away from our Poems to discuss other important works of art. I believe that if we dwell too much focus on just poetry then we are missing an intergral part of our culture. Art is as important as Literature and so we will discuss a famous painting by a well known Painter Edward Degas.