L'Absinthe
Edgar Degas1876Oil on canvas
Degas's unflinching portrait of Parisian café life caused a scandal when exhibited in London in 1893. The two figures — a woman staring blankly at her glass of absinthe, a man beside her — are studies in urban alienation. The palette is as desaturated and hollow as the subjects' expressions.
Color Mood
Deliberately desaturated and hollow. Degas drains the scene of color vitality to mirror his subjects' inner emptiness. The single touch of absinthe green becomes the most morally loaded color in the painting.
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Primary Colors
The dominant colors that define the overall mood and atmosphere of the work.
Secondary Colors
Supporting colors that add depth, contrast, and visual interest.
Tertiary Colors
Accent and detail colors that complete the composition.
impressionismmutedgreenurbandarksocial