19th C. Painting Edouard Cortes "Rue de la Madelaine". About Artist: Cortes was born on August 6, 1882, in Lagny-sur-Marne, about twenty miles east of Paris. His father, Antonio Cortes, had been a painter for the Spanish Royal Court. In 1914 Cortes married Fernande Joyeuse, with whom he had a daughter in 1916. Although Cortes was a pacifist, when war came close to his native village he was compelled to enlist in a French Infantry Regiment at the age of 32. As a contact agent Cortes was wounded by a bayonet, evacuated to a military hospital, and awarded the Croix de Guerre. After recovery he was the reassigned to use his artistic talent to sketch enemy positions. Later in life his convictions led him to refuse the Legion d'Honneur from the French Government. In 1919 he was demobilized. His wife had died in 1918 and he soon married his sister-in-law Lucienne Joyeuse. Cortes lived a simple life amid a close circle of friends. He died on November 28, 1969, in Lagny, and has a street named in his honor. Frame: 27.5" x 23" / Painting: 18" x 13"