Effect of sunlight on Notre Dame 

Editor: This is Edouard Cortes' "Effect of Sunlight on Notre Dame", painted with oil paint. It has this almost hazy, dreamlike quality, but it also feels incredibly grounded in the everyday hustle of a city. What catches your eye about it? Curator: The subject is less Notre Dame itself and more about the material conditions that frame our perception. Look at the oil paint, thickly applied in some areas, creating textures that mimic the rough stone of the buildings versus the slick wetness of the streets. Editor: So, you're focusing on how the materiality influences our experience of the image? Curator: Precisely. The canvas itself becomes a site of production. The blurred figures, almost indistinct, speak to the industrialized anonymity of urban life. Are they workers, shoppers, or just passers-by? What commentary do you think Cortes offers on social mobility and class through their rendering? Editor: I see what you mean. They're just part of the flow of people; individuals swallowed by a larger social machine. So the materials, the blurred figures, even the city itself, point to production and consumption? Curator: Absolutely! Consider the colors he’s chosen too. The muted tones hint at industrial pollution. There's an almost melancholic beauty that underlies his impressionism. It’s a commentary on modern existence. Editor: I never thought about it like that before. I was so focused on the visual appeal, but you're right, the way it’s painted gives it a whole new level of meaning. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art isn't simply about aesthetics, but a reflection of social and material conditions, as you can see.