"There is only one absinthe drinker, and that's the man who painted this idiotic picture."

The French artist Thomas Couture who died March 30, 1879 said this in reference to Manet's "The Absinthe Drinker".

I have heard of Couture, but only as an early teacher of Manet. Funny, isn't it? Today no one remembers the large-scale, romantic, landscape crap Couture painted (I don't know this, but I am guessing it is true). But "this idiodic picture" helped revolutionize painting. I wonder if Couture was bitter or just arrogant? He definitely didn't have much vision.

Manet is probably my favorite artist and I especially enjoy his guys. I could look at "The Smoker" at the MIA for hours: http://www.artsmia.org/viewer/detail.php?v=12&id=1689.