Maurice Utrillo, (1883-1955)
Vue de Pontoise
Vue de Pontoise
signed 'Maurice UTRILLO. V.' (lower right)
oil on canvas
60.6 x 81.7cm (23 7/8 x 32 3/16in).
Painted circa 1913
The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the late Monsieur Jean Fabris.
Provenance
Dikran Khan Kélékian Collection, Paris & New York; his sale, The American Art Galleries, New York, 30 - 31 January 1922, lot 72 (titled 'Effet de neige').
Scott & Fowles, New York.
Arthur Sachs Collection, Paris.
Private collection, Paris (acquired from the above).
Thence by descent to the previous owner; their sale, Christie's, London, 7 February 2007, lot 366.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Exhibited
San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Nineteenth Century French Paintings from the Collection of Mr. Arthur Sachs, 21 October - 30 November 1950.
Paris, Pinacothèque de Paris, Valadon - Utrillo: Au tournant du siècle à Montmartre, de l'Impressionnisme à l'Ecole de Paris, 6 March - 15 September 2009, no. 56.
Maurice Utrillo's prominence in the Post-Impressionist movement rests largely on his accomplishments as a self-taught artist and his unique ability to move fluidly through artistic movements. Not singularly classicist, realist, Expressionist, or Impressionist, he adopted techniques from all of them.
Utrillo is best known for his paintings of Parisian life and familiar suburbs, with the recurring theme of the streets and hills of the Montmartre. His technique developed organically through observation of the places surrounding him, rather than through formal instruction. His upbringing, surrounded by artists in the bohemian communities of Paris, impacted him greatly by creating an intrinsic sense of place within him. The streets of Paris and its envirous would forever be his muse, and the artistic movements developed there existed for his borrowing, as he created a style entirely of his own.
Utrillo's période blanche, beginning circa 1910, marked a distinct shift in style as he moved towards the use of shades of white to depict his city scenes. Vue de Pontoise painted circa 1913 sits centrally in the span of this period and is a quintessential example of Utrillo's work. In this mid-winter scene, Utrillo uses the colour white to denote season, passage of time, and distance, as the town recedes into the background, the trees creating a horizon that connects earth and sky.
Utrillo's signature alleyways, winding avenues, and colour palette are depicted here, all working together to draw the viewer in, thereby making them feel the cold reality of this quiet street scene. Here we are granted a moment of clarity, a clear view on a winter day in France, surrounded by the calm and quiet that accompanies a snow covered landscape.
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Vue de Pontoise
Vue de Pontoise
signed 'Maurice UTRILLO. V.' (lower right)
oil on canvas
60.6 x 81.7cm (23 7/8 x 32 3/16in).
Painted circa 1913
The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the late Monsieur Jean Fabris.
Provenance
Dikran Khan Kélékian Collection, Paris & New York; his sale, The American Art Galleries, New York, 30 - 31 January 1922, lot 72 (titled 'Effet de neige').
Scott & Fowles, New York.
Arthur Sachs Collection, Paris.
Private collection, Paris (acquired from the above).
Thence by descent to the previous owner; their sale, Christie's, London, 7 February 2007, lot 366.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Exhibited
San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, Nineteenth Century French Paintings from the Collection of Mr. Arthur Sachs, 21 October - 30 November 1950.
Paris, Pinacothèque de Paris, Valadon - Utrillo: Au tournant du siècle à Montmartre, de l'Impressionnisme à l'Ecole de Paris, 6 March - 15 September 2009, no. 56.
Maurice Utrillo's prominence in the Post-Impressionist movement rests largely on his accomplishments as a self-taught artist and his unique ability to move fluidly through artistic movements. Not singularly classicist, realist, Expressionist, or Impressionist, he adopted techniques from all of them.
Utrillo is best known for his paintings of Parisian life and familiar suburbs, with the recurring theme of the streets and hills of the Montmartre. His technique developed organically through observation of the places surrounding him, rather than through formal instruction. His upbringing, surrounded by artists in the bohemian communities of Paris, impacted him greatly by creating an intrinsic sense of place within him. The streets of Paris and its envirous would forever be his muse, and the artistic movements developed there existed for his borrowing, as he created a style entirely of his own.
Utrillo's période blanche, beginning circa 1910, marked a distinct shift in style as he moved towards the use of shades of white to depict his city scenes. Vue de Pontoise painted circa 1913 sits centrally in the span of this period and is a quintessential example of Utrillo's work. In this mid-winter scene, Utrillo uses the colour white to denote season, passage of time, and distance, as the town recedes into the background, the trees creating a horizon that connects earth and sky.
Utrillo's signature alleyways, winding avenues, and colour palette are depicted here, all working together to draw the viewer in, thereby making them feel the cold reality of this quiet street scene. Here we are granted a moment of clarity, a clear view on a winter day in France, surrounded by the calm and quiet that accompanies a snow covered landscape.
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