The Porte Saint Martin 

Edouard Cortes captured 'The Porte Saint Martin' with oil on canvas, portraying a bustling Parisian street. Cortes, born into a family of artists, lived through a period of significant social and technological change in Paris. The painting invites us to consider the intersection of progress and tradition in urban life. In the foreground, horse-drawn carriages and a packed, early form of a public bus hint at class divisions evident at the time. The architecture looms in the background, a silent witness to the daily theater of Parisian life. A woman in a green dress stands to the side of the street, perhaps an observer of the daily rhythms, or waiting for transport. Cortes once said that he wanted to capture "the soul of Paris," not just its appearance. He presents a world of constant motion and fleeting encounters, echoing the experience of modernity itself. The painting offers an intimate glimpse into a world where identity and social class are visibly etched into the urban landscape.