The absinthe drinker belongs to the derelict fringe of the city. She sits alone. Her hair is unkempt, her sleeves too tight. A knitted shawl covers her shoulders. In the background, beyond the café terrace night obscures shadowy figures as they pass in the street.

The colours are rich and varied. ButPicasso’s treatment has little compassion. The woman grasps a lump of sugar and raises it to her glass of absinthe. The claw of a hand seems as predatory as her of a hand seems as predatory as her pointed features. This painting formerly belonged to the American composer George Gershwin.