Flower Market At La Madeleine 

Edouard Cortes painted this scene of the Flower Market at La Madeleine with oils. Notice how Cortes structures the composition with a balance between architectural mass and the ephemeral quality of light and atmosphere. The solid verticality of the classical building on the right contrasts with the more transient elements: the flower stalls, the leafless trees, and figures caught in motion. See how Cortes uses light and shadow to animate the scene? The wet ground reflects the sky, blurring the boundary between earth and air, and between the solid forms of the buildings. The bright splashes of color in the flower displays serve to draw the eye, accentuating the market's vibrancy. Cortes, with his structural understanding of classical form, captures a fleeting moment of modern Parisian life. His structural elements suggest the dialogue between the enduring and the temporary. This prompts questions about our perception of time, space, and the city itself.