Who knows if Manet could have become one of the founders of impressionism if his teacher, painter Tom Couture, did not call the film “Absintheater” – “vile.” But the young artist worked enthusiastically throughout the winter of 1858-1859, believing that he was creating a masterpiece, and the teacher, and with it the audience and the jury of the Paris Salon, would appreciate the work. Hope did not come true: with Couture, Manet would no longer meet because of resentment, and among the jury members of the Salon, only Delacroix recognized the picture.
While working on “Absintheater”, E. Manet adhered to the requirements of the Couture school, experts note the preparation of the canvas as required by academic painting, the distribution of shadows meets the established standards. True, a number of valid flaws are noticeable.
Unfortunately, the mentor and art critics were able to notice in the work of a drunken Parisian who had a lot in the Louvre region. He was very happy with the picture of junkman Collardé, who posed for the artist, and later he constantly distracted Manet, who worked in the studio. It is believed that the artist’s friend, the poet Baudelaire, managed to make Manet see in the drunken junkman a suitable image for creating a picture.
Absinthe, was finished by Manet a bit later. In his opinion, this gave the work expressiveness.
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