Rue Royale Madeleine, Winter 

Edouard Cortes’s “Rue Royale Madeleine, Winter” is an oil painting, capturing a Parisian street scene with remarkable atmosphere. Cortes was a master of light, using his brush to evoke the damp chill of a winter’s day. You can almost feel the slush beneath your feet. The paint itself is applied in brisk strokes, a technique known as "alla prima," suggesting the energy of the city and the brisk pace of life. It emphasizes speed and efficiency, capturing an impression in one go. The muted palette—grays, blues, and whites—underscores the cold, while the dabs of warm yellow and orange light from the shops and cars create contrast. The painting is not so much about the architecture or the people, but the ephemeral moment—a fleeting glimpse of urban life. In his work, Cortes carries on a tradition of painting everyday scenes. By depicting the ordinary, he makes us consider our own place within the social fabric, blurring the boundaries between observed reality and romanticized memory.