Saint Sulpice, Paris: La Grande Tour 1900

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan, born in Canada, made this etching titled 'Saint Sulpice, Paris: La Grande Tour' to capture a slice of Parisian life. MacLaughlan, who lived as an expatriate, documents the rapidly changing urban landscape of the early 20th century with a nostalgic eye. Here, the grandeur of the Saint Sulpice church looms over the everyday hustle of the square, where you can see figures of women who are possibly out shopping, going about their daily routines. The tower, an emblem of the city’s historical and religious power, is juxtaposed with the more recent architecture of the surrounding buildings. It serves as a backdrop for the more temporal and fleeting moments of ordinary life. MacLaughlan once said that "to render the bigness of things" was his artistic pursuit. The soft lines of the etching lend an air of romanticism, yet also remind us that cities are always a negotiation between permanence and change, between the grand narratives of institutions and the quiet stories of individuals. In the end, what we are left with is a deep appreciation for a moment in time.