Was Van Gogh really drinking absinthe?
Yes - Vincent drank absinthe, like all the artists of his time. The "green fairy" flowed freely in Parisian and Arlesian cafes. But the idea she would have driven crazy the painter is a myth that science has dismantled. Between biography, history of alcohol and modern medicine, let's take stock.
Yes, he drank absinthe. No, she didn't drive him crazy.
Van Gogh consumed absinthe - the "green fairy" -, like most Parisian artists of the late 19th centurye century. He drank it in the cafés of Montmartre, then in Arles at the Café de la Gare. But the received idea that absinthe caused his madness is contradicted by modern science : thujone, the active ingredient in question, is present in quantities that are far too small to cause hallucinations.
The true cause of his mental disorders remains debated - temporal lobe epilepsy, bipolar disorder, lead poisoning - but wormwood is not responsible. On the other hand, excessive alcohol consumption in general worsened his condition, as he himself wrote to Théo.
Absinthe in the 19th century: green hour
Absinthe is an aniseed spirit, measuring 45 to 74%, created in Switzerland around 1792 by Doctor Pierre Ordinaire. Popularized by French troops in Algeria (as a malaria preventative), it invaded French cafes in the 1860s. Five o'clock in the evening became " green hour ": the moment when all of Paris sips the fairy.
Artists love it. Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Degas: everyone paints or drinks absinthe. It is cheap, strong, and supposed to stimulate creativity. In 1910, France consumed 36 million liters per year.
Van Gogh, who arrived in Paris in 1886, immersed himself in this culture. He frequents the Café du Tambourin run by Agostina Segatori, the Café de la Gare in Arles. Absinthe flows like water. He even paints one Coffee table with absinthe - a drink, a bottle, on a bistro table.
"Absinthe and fatigue are making my mental state worse."Vincent, Parisian period (1887)
Coffee as workshop, alcohol as fuel
For Vincent, the café is not a place of passage: it is his workshop, his office, his social place. At Café du Tambourin, in Paris, he exhibits his paintings between the tables. At Café de la Gare, in Arles, he stayed for a few months and painted the infernal interior of the Night cafe.
Alcohol - absinthe, but also wine, cognac, beer - is part of his daily life. He writes to Théo that he does not eat properly and drinks "too much". This lifestyle aggravates his probable epilepsy and anxiety attacks. THE Night cafe d'Arles, with its red walls and supernatural lighting, is partly inspired by those nights spent drinking in an unhealthy atmosphere.
Van Gogh himself is aware of the problem: he writes that absinthe and fatigue "aggravate his mental state". But he cannot stop, especially during periods of loneliness and anxiety.
La Coffee table with absinthe - a lonely drink on a bistro table - is one of Vincent's few still lifes that shows the very object of his addiction.
Does absinthe drive you crazy? Science answers: no
For a century, wormwood was considered a hallucinogenic poison. Thuyone, a molecule derived from mugwort (wormwood), was accused of causing convulsions, hallucinations and madness - a syndrome called "absinthism". This belief led to the ban on absinthe in France (1914), Switzerland, the United States and most Western countries. But modern science has called everything into question.
Absinthism
Convulsions, hallucinations, madness: caused by mugwort thujone. Absinthe would be more dangerous than other alcohols.
Simply alcohol
Modern studies show that thujone is present in trace amounts in absinthe. The symptoms attributed to absinthism are actually those of ordinary chronic alcoholism.
Myth dismantled
"The psychoactive properties of wormwood, apart from those attributable to its alcohol content, have been exaggerated." (Wikipedia, summarizing scientific studies.)
Absinthe is therefore no more dangerous than another spirit with the same alcohol content. What made Van Gogh sick wasn't the "green fairy" - it was quantity alcohol (all types combined) absorbed for years, associated with a neurological predisposition.
What was Van Gogh suffering, really?
Retrospective diagnoses abound: temporal lobe epilepsy, bipolar disorder (manic depression), epileptic psychosis, porphyria, lead poisoning (paintings), or the combined effect of several of these factors.
No diagnosis has ever been unanimous. But one thing is certain: alcoholism has aggravated his condition, regardless of the underlying illness. Absinthe in particular is not responsible - it was his entire alcohol consumption, lack of sleep and poor diet that precipitated the attacks.
From climax to ban
Doctor Ordinaire developed the recipe in Switzerland.
Absinthe invades French cafes. Artists adopt it.
Van Gogh drinks absinthe in Paris then in Arles. His health declines.
France bans absinthe, followed by most Western countries.
Coffees and absinthe at Van Gogh
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Montmartre, Café du Tambourin, 1886-1888.
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All reproductions.
See the collectionVan Gogh and absinthe
Was Van Gogh really drinking absinthe?
Yes. Like most Parisian artists of the late 19th centurye century, he consumed absinthe in cafes. He drank it in Paris (Café du Tambourin) then in Arles (Café de la Gare). He even painted one Coffee table with absinthe.
Did absinthe drive Van Gogh crazy?
No. Modern science has demonstrated that thujone, the active ingredient in question, is present in quantities too small to cause hallucinations. The disorders attributed to "absinthism" were actually those of ordinary chronic alcoholism.
What was Van Gogh's real illness?
The diagnosis remains debated: temporal lobe epilepsy, bipolar disorder, porphyria, lead poisoning... Several hypotheses coexist. Alcoholism (all types combined) worsened his condition, regardless of the underlying cause.
Why was absinthe banned?
In France in 1914 (during World War I), absinthe was banned due to the myth of absinthism and prohibitionist pressures. Prohibition lasted almost a century before being lifted in the 1990s and 2000s.
What is "green hour"?
That was the name given at 5 p.m. (5 p.m.), when Parisians met at the café for their first glass of absinthe. The drink was green, hence the name.
Did Van Gogh paint absinthe?
Yes. Her Coffee table with absinthe shows a glass and a bottle on a bistro table. More broadly, his coffee paintings (Night Café, Terrace, Café du Tambourin) evoke this environment where alcohol flows freely.
Can you still drink absinthe today?
Yes. Absinthe was rehabilitated in the European Union in the 1990s, then in most countries. Nearly 200 brands are now produced in a dozen countries.
Go to texts
- Wikipedia (en) - Absinthe, history, myth and scientific studies.
- Wikipedia (en) - Vincent van Gogh, mental health and alcoholism.
- Wikipedia (en) - The Night Café, coffee and absinthe cultivation in Arles.
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - collection.
- The Letters of Vincent van Gogh - Van Gogh Museum scholarly edition /Huygens ING.
- Wikimedia Commons - The Night Café, public domain.
Information about absinthe is based on the dedicated Wikipedia article and recent scientific studies he cites. Van Gogh's quotes come from his letters (Van Gogh Museum edition). The works are in the public domain.
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