Place from a knoll Montmartre 

Editor: So, here's Edouard Cortes' painting, "Place from a knoll Montmartre", done with oil paints. It feels like a fleeting moment, a snapshot of a Parisian street. What do you see in it? Curator: I see layers of memory embedded within this cityscape. Look at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in the background, its presence dominating the scene. It is a symbol not only of faith, but also of national pride and, interestingly, atonement after the Franco-Prussian War. It suggests a collective desire for healing. Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn't considered the historical weight of the Basilica itself. Curator: And what about the street scene below? Note the flaneurs, the figures strolling along, and even the motor car. These elements represent modern life, yet they're painted with a soft, impressionistic touch that harkens back to a different era. Do you think the wet streets amplify the effect of the buildings’ light? Editor: Definitely. The reflections almost seem to blur the lines between the present and the past, creating a sense of timelessness. The people seem blurred like memory, or afterimages. Curator: Exactly. The image evokes the feeling that we are observing cultural memory being created in real-time; the street and the Sacré-Cœur as visual metaphors or symbolic memory palaces of experience and feeling. Each building, each figure, a repository of cultural significance. Editor: I never would have thought about it that way. Thanks, I learned a lot about visual memory and how to interpret what I see. Curator: Likewise. It's rewarding to look at the layers that make a piece, especially as symbols change with time.