Notre Dame Paris 

Edouard Cortes painted this view of Notre Dame in Paris using oil on canvas. Cortes was a master of capturing the city's atmosphere, and here the cold, wet, and dark day is made almost picturesque. The thick application of paint creates texture, mimicking the slushy snow underfoot and the dampness in the air. The brushstrokes are visible, applied in short, quick dashes to give a sense of movement and liveliness. The trams and figures are rendered with an efficient, economical hand, showing how he harnessed the materiality of oil paint to create an evocative urban scene. The image is not just about the landmark Notre Dame itself, but also about the modern city that bustles around it. The trams speak to the industrialization and modernization of Paris at the time. By focusing on the everyday life of the city, rather than just its monuments, Cortes blurred the line between traditional landscape painting and modern genre scenes. He reminds us that art is not just about grand subjects, but also about the materials, labor, and context that go into its creation.