Concorde Square 

Henri Martin painted this impressionist scene, Concorde Square, capturing a moment in one of Paris’s most historically charged locations. The Place de la Concorde has been a stage for grand spectacles, executions, and political demonstrations. Martin’s choice to depict it in this way, soft and filled with light, almost obscures the square’s violent past. The artist lived through significant social upheaval including the Franco-Prussian War and the birth of the Third Republic, a period marked by shifts in power and national identity. What does it mean to choose the Place de la Concorde as a subject? The brushstrokes are dabbed and divided, creating a shimmering surface that evokes a sense of fleeting time and changing light, so typical of impressionism. Yet, the solid structures within the square --the obelisk, the buildings-- remind us of history. Martin’s painting invites us to reflect on how public spaces carry the weight of history and memory, even as they evolve. The painting becomes a meditation on how we negotiate our relationship to the past.