Vincent van Gogh - The Still Life with Absent 1887
The Still Life with Absent 1887
46x33cm oil/canvas
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
'Glass of Absinthe' and a Carafe was made by Van Gogh in a café. On the table sits a glass of absinthe, its green-yellow liquid lighter for window's sunlight and in contrast to the brown background. The painting catches a moment in the café from a patron's perspective, with a view of pedestrians walking on the street. Absinthe was popular to Van Gogh and other artists both as a drink, although toxic and in some cases deadly, and because of its unique color, it was also favored as a subject for paintings.
Absinthe may have significantly contributed to Van Gogh's poor health. When he lived in Paris, absinthe was a popular drinks among artists. Paul Signac commented that Van Gogh
drank steadily drinks of brandy following drinks of absinthe. By the time Van Gogh left Paris he was in very poor health and known to say to a friend that drinking and smoking
left him "seriously sick at heart and in body and nearly an alcoholic." According to author Doris Lanier, author of "Absinthe the Cocaine of the Nineteenth Century": Many of
Van Gogh's symptoms following his arrival in Paris are indicative of absinthe poisoning: stomach and nervous system problems, hallucinations and convulsions.