Executed in 1911, which according to the artist, was the “best year of his life,” Église Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas is an extraordinary example of the Utrillo's work during his 'white period', considered by many to be the height of his artistic achievement. Dated roughly between 1907 and 1914, the 'white period' sees Utrillo moving away from Impressionist influences and incorporating zinc white, which he sometimes mixed with plaster. This new technique was often used to portray the cracked walls of building facades and to create a rough texture. In the present work, an almost deserted cityscape makes architecture the painting's subject: the Église Saint Jacques-du Haut-Pas sits next to another building rendered in the same deep teals and light creams, creating a visual harmony within the composition. Utrillo also reveals his interest in form and shape, flattening the sky to enhance the architectural space and sparing minute detail in favor of overall effect.

This period saw the artist refine a style that was uniquely his own, straying away from the visual language of his contemporaries, who were themselves moving towards abstraction. Retaining traditional models of perspective and rules of composition, Utrillo almost exclusively focused on cityscapes, especially in Montmartre and the surrounding suburbs of Paris (see fig. 2). In that sense, Église Saint Jacques-du Haut-Pas is unique in its subject matter: situated in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, Utrillo likely painted the view from a postcard or photograph rather than en plein air. As the oldest arrondissement in Paris, the area boasts a historic past, dating back to ancient Rome. The Église Saint Jacques-du Haut-Pas, built in 1665, was an important stop for the faithful on the pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Spain. Utrillo captures the weight of history in his solid and intensely-colored depiction of the church, its monumentality emphasized by the scale of the human figures to its left. Maurice de Vlaminck, an admirer of Utrillo’s work, commented on the importance of this subject in the context of his oeuvre: “One must give an important place in Utrillo’s work to his cathedrals and churches. The most spectacular paintings are perhaps certain cathedrals which contain a true mystic power. Whether Utrillo paints the imposing bulk of the cathedral or the pointed spire of the village chapel, he unconsciously expresses the love that man feels towards his Creator.”