Edouard-Léon Cortès

Posted by Charley Parker

These seems to be an unofficial school of painting that included a number of post-Impressionist artists who specialized in painting views of Belle Épocque Paris, and took particular interest in contrasting the browns and grays of buildings and overcast skies with the warm yellow and orange glow of windows lit by gaslight.
These included Eugene Galien-Laloue, Edouard-Léon Cortès, Luigi Loir, and somewhat later, Antoine Blanchard.
Cortès was perhaps the best known of them. His paintings of Paris, that often include famous monuments and places in the city, were popular in his time and his work continues to be in demand. Though his contrast of city lights and backgrounds that seem primed to showcase them to best advantage can seem a bit artifical at times, there is an undeniable visual charm to the way he lays out his compositions and his bold renderings in brilliant patches and splashes of color.
Cortès was born within 20 miles of Paris, studied initially with his father, who was a a painter for the Spanish Royal Court, and later at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Cortès took inspiration from both classical and Impressionist styles, as well as his contemporary “painters of Paris”.
He frequently revisited the same subjects, and even the same viewpoints, painting the scenes in different light and weather conditions. He frequently painted the City of Lights reflected in its own rain-wet streets and sidewalks.
Perhaps the best online source for Cortès’ images is the the past lots selections of Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions, which are often zoomable to high resolution.
There is a good selection on Wikipaintings, with good size enlargements. Though smaller, a nice quick overview can be had at Encore Editions, and a more extensive selection, along with biographical background, can be found on Rehs Galleries (and here and here).

Lines and colors