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Mucha co-pioneered a new style and influenced the fin de siècle aesthetics. In the collective exhibition held in 1897 at the Salon des Cent, he showed three drawings for the intended series "Seven Deadly Sins". Around 1900, he drew a series of pastels illustrating the struggle of Man for moral enlightenment, entitled "The Dregs of Society" that included the Absinth drawing.
The expressive illustration, with its contrast of the loud pastel colour and the blackness of the charcoal, is imbued with a symbolic meaning. In this image, the artist reveals humankind's debased morality and unrestrained passions that ultimately lead to crimes and wars. As a Freemason, Mucha used the popularity of his artwork to disseminate his ideals of restoring spiritual humanity in people's minds and hearts.
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