Maurice Utrillo
Born – Paris, France 1883
Died – Dax, France 1955
Maurice Utrillo was the illegitimate son of the painter Suzanne Valdon. An alcoholic and a drug addict, he was reputedly encouraged to paint by his mother during one of his several admissions to a sanatorium. He had his first exhibition at the Paris Salon in 1909. His early work was affected by the Impressionist, in particular Pissarro, but was characterized, in Utrillo’s own words, by “a wild thirst for reality”. His intense vision, paradoxically, was largely the result of copying Parisian street views postcards. Mainly concentrated on the area around Montmarte, he did much to establish the area’s romantic image. The paintings produced between 1909 and 1916 are known as his “white period” because of their distinctive pale tones. L’impasse, Cottin is almost monochromatic. The darkened windows and empty doorways give the picture a haunting atmosphere and emotional flatness. By the 1920s, Utrillo was introducing richer colours into his work. Highly popular, his paintings were the subject of numerous forgeries and imitations. Utrillo turned to religion in his later years.
Masterpieces:
- La Place du Tetre
- Street in a Paris Suburb with Trees
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About maurice utrillo
Maurice Utrillo (Great art of the ages)
Maurice Utrillo
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MAURICE UTRILLO
JEANINE WARNOD
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Maurice Utrillo (The Library of great painters)
Alfred Werner
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