Main Entrance, Luxembourg Garden, Paris 

George Luks made this oil on board painting of the Main Entrance, Luxembourg Garden, Paris; however, we don't know when. Luks was an American realist painter, though here he depicts a quintessential European scene. As the title suggests, this small painting shows the entrance to the Luxembourg Gardens, a popular public park in Paris. The painting is heavily textured, made up of loose brushstrokes that give a sense of the lively atmosphere of the gardens. The thick application of paint suggests the influence of Impressionism, but Luks's subject matter is more in line with the Ashcan School, a group of American artists who focused on depicting everyday life, particularly in urban settings. While this painting is not explicitly political, it does offer a glimpse into the social life of Paris at the turn of the century. To understand this artwork better, we might research the history of the Luxembourg Gardens, the development of public parks in Paris, and the relationship between American and European art at the time. By doing so, we can better understand how Luks's painting fits into the broader social and cultural context of its time.