Maurice Utrillo

Noël and Louis Barag, Villeneuve-le-Roi (Val de Marne)

Osaka, Kintetsu Grande Galerie, Abeno; Nagasaki, Musée d'art; Kitakyushu, Musée municipal d'art & Yokohama, Musée d'art Sogo, Maurice Utrillo, 1988-89, no. 23, illustrated in the catalogue
Sannois (France), Musée Utrillo-Valadon, La vie de Bohème, 2000-01, no. 7, illustrated in the catalogue

Paul Pétridès, Maurice Utrillo, Supplément, Paris, 1974, vol. V, no. 2557, illustrated p. 159

The canvas is not lined, though there is evidence of de-lining. There is a thick uneven varnish through which the UV light cannot fully penetrate. There are some very minor spots of retouching to some pinhead-sized spots of paint loss at points throughout the sky, and three larger 1cm. sq. spots of retouching to the upper left corner. All retouching is vaguely visible under UV light. Apart from some light craquelure and a 3cm. line of fluorescence towards the lower right corner probably due to the varnish, this work is in fairly good condition. Colours: Fairly accurate, although the colours are richer in the original.
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It was the works that Maurice Utrillo painted during his 'white period' that made the artist famous. During the years 1910-1914, he strove to free his art from the restraints of Impressionism. Rather than opting for bright colours like many of his peers, the artist instead chose an almost monochrome palette. His compositions were from then on dominated by subtle variations of white. In the present work, Utrillo depicts a tranquil street scene in the town of Compiègne in northern France. The deserted road stretches into the distance, drawing the viewer's gaze towards the centre of the canvas while on either side, we see shuttered white houses and on the left, an empty grocery shop. There is no sign of life, the atmosphere is peaceful and the palette dominated by white and beige, reflecting the fleeting serenity the artist was experiencing during this period.

The dexterity of the artist's paintbrush as well as his unique approach to perspective earned him high praise from critics such as Adolphe Tabarant in 1926: 'obsessed with white - an incredible white! Dissatisfied with the effects obtainable with zinc white (the only white he used), he tries combining it with plaster, in an effort to reproduce the whites of his beloved walls. In a frenzy of realism, he would like to go as far as to put real moss on the old stones which he strives so hard to reproduce. This is the beginning of that series of works known as the "White Period". At this time Utrillo uses a palette of many whites, but these never become chalky or dull. He surrounds them with soft greys, delicate pinks, deep blues, or else contrasts them with sonorous browns and blacks. It is during this period that he achieves his most striking work. With an entirely personal sense of colour, he adds new beauty to naked, crumbling façades. He expresses the calm rusticity of the rural scene with a primitive force, but with the accent of complete modernity. With each new work he rises to further heights and, with the most delicate sensitivity, he clothes in splendour all that the casual eye of the passer-by neglects.' (Adolphe Tabarant, Utrillo, Paris, 1926).