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In a Café (The Absinthe Drinker)
Edgar Degas French
Not on view
Degas drew inspiration for the setting of this painting from the Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes, where he often met Manet and other artists in their circle, including Marcellin Desboutin, seen here at right. His framing of the composition places the viewer at a nearby table looking toward the pair of drinkers, whose indifference to one another and their surroundings imparts a sense of modern urban alienation. The actress Ellen Andrée posed for the weary-looking female figure, giving her a slumped posture and downturned expression. Degas intended to include the work in the second Impressionist exhibition, in 1876, but ultimately showed it the following year.
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