When I was inventing Les Vosges, a crowded, unpretentious neighborhood eating place near Les Halles, Manet’s crowded Café hovered vaguely in the back of my mind (more for its atmosphere than the exact look of the place). The beer mugs certainly fit with an Alsatian restaurant. The customers still in their outer wraps and the fogged window suggest an inelegant but popular place. The woman looks pleased, and I’d like to think it’s because the food and the beer are good.
I included card players in my description partly because they appear in paintings of the period, including several by Cézanne, such as this one.
I included card players in my description partly because they appear in paintings of the period, including several by Cézanne, such as this one.