"[...] one of the earliest depictions of absinthe in art"

We talked about a few of Manet’s paintings in class on Friday, but I don’t think we talked about what was considered to be his first major painting: The Absinthe Drinker. It’s a full body portrait of an alcoholic rag-and-bone man (dude who collects unwanted household items and sells them to merchants) named Collardet who was frequently seen around the Louvre in Paris. The painting was apparently influenced by the realism of Gustave Courbet and MAY have been inspired by the poem Le Vin de chiffonniers (“The rag-picker’s wine”) from Charles Baudelaire’s collection Les Fleurs du mal! His former master Thomas Couture had this to say about the painting: "An absinthe drinker! And they paint abominations like that! My poor friend, you are the absinthe drinker. It is you who has lost your moral sense.” The Absinthe Drinker was the first major work that Manet submitted to the Paris Salon in 1859, with Eugène Delacroix being the only one who voted in its favor. Manet’s works evidently sparked much controversy, and this painting was no exception. The Absinthe Drinker may have been rejected because absinthe was an addictive drink; “morally degenerate.” Also, it’s said that the painting is uneven, with the legs joined awkwardly to Collardet’s body. I don’t know why, but I wish Manet had submitted this painting to the Salon de Refusés (“exhibition of rejects”…lol) like he did with Luncheon on the Grass.