The pigeon commands most of the attention in this painting of Paris. We all know the children's song, Alouette, which refers to the fact that pigeons are dinner in many parts of France. They helped feed hungry Parisians during the lean war years and they seem to have a symbolic place in the heart of the country. Something about surviving and enduring , without losing spirit.

The painting has an odd composition, with the obelisque rising on the right in rusty red, and the hard stone in the foreground. The sweep of the Seine carries the eye back to our Alouette, strutting out of the shadows.