Luminous and rich with detail, this oil on canvas hails from the studio of the great French painter Edouard Léon Cortès. The elegant composition captures a bustling 19th-century Parisian street scene filled with pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages illuminated by the soft yellow light of the gas street lanterns. Enchantingly nostalgic, this work perfectly represents Cortès’ mastery over perspective, color and atmosphere as well as his lifelong painterly romance with Belle Époque Paris.

By the mid-20th century, Cortès had gained considerable success and notoriety as a painter, and his works were in demand across Europe and North America. At his atelier, Cortès was prolific and sometimes employed the help of studio assistants who worked under direct instruction from the artist in the production or preparation of his artworks. This example was almost certainly completed with the assistance of artists working in the Cortès studio, with the signature likely added later.

Raised in an artistic environment, Cortès was greatly influenced by his father and other famous artists who flocked to the picturesque town of Langly where Cortès was born. Maximilian Luce, Camille Pissaro and Lucien Pissaro, among other celebrities of the Impressionist period, were personal friends of the family, and the young Cortès flourished in this rich artistic environment while developing an independent style. Cortès dedicated his extensive oeuvre to capturing the magic of Paris on canvas and went on to exhibit in the great venues of Paris and later in America and Canada, earning great admiration from his peers, patrons and critics.

Canvas: 19 5/8” high x 32 1/8” wide
Frame: 30 3/4" high x 43 1/4" wide