Boulevard de la Madeleine 

Édouard Cortès rendered this oil on canvas, *Boulevard de la Madeleine*, during a period of rapid change in Paris. Born in France to a well known artist, Cortes dedicated his art to capturing the luminous beauty of the city. Cortes here illustrates a Parisian street scene, a boulevard bustling with activity. At first glance, the painting seems to simply celebrate the glamour of city life, but we can also ask what the painting tells us about class. The figures who can afford horse-drawn carriages populate the scene, while others appear as indistinct silhouettes on the periphery. The painting presents an intriguing tension between the romantic allure of Paris and the underlying social stratifications that shape urban experience. The painting invites us to reflect on our own relationship to urban environments and how we navigate the complex dynamics of belonging and exclusion. What does it mean to find beauty amidst the constant flux of city life?