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Maurice Utrillo
Maurice Utrillo was a French painter who lived from December 26, 1883 until November 5, 1955. His mother was Suzanne Valadon, a renowned painter herself who became an artist after a series of jobs culminating in modelling work for some of the great impressionists. Maurice's paternity is uncertain. He was raised by his grandmother. Style of Work Born during the birth of impressionism, Utrillo painted in the impressionist style but came a little late on the scene to be known as one of the great impressionists. His motifs were mostly city scenes; Utrillo painted very few portraits. Instead he preferred churches and street scenes of Paris, particularly Montmatre where Utrillo spent most of his life. Similar to Picasso's "Blue Period," Utrillo has something called a "White Period" during which his work tends towards a light palette featuring overcast skies. Personal Life What is incredible about Utrillo is the wrenching contrast between his private life and his work. If you'd look at his paintings, you'd reckon that Utrillo was a mild-mannered, fastidious and studious chap, the kind of person who'd make a good schoolteacher, or stamp collector. Utrillo's paintings hardly ever figure humans; the crowds and passersby have been removed from city scenes giving a desolate, empty feel. The draftmanship is superb, and painstakingly careful. Utrillo had a knack for perspective not shared by some of the impressionists. Scenes of apartments are detailed and true to life, down to the individual bars of window grills. If it weren't for Utrillo's reputation, you could be forgiven for thinking that his paintings are downright bland, perhaps even boring. But the incredible truth is that Utrillo was a drunken lout who frequently got into trouble with the police, and made more trips to mental asylums than even Van Gogh. If you look at Van Gogh's paintings, you can nod your head in agreement when told that the artist was a little batty, perhaps even deranged. But not a trace of Utrillo's life, just as wild as Van Gogh's if not wilder, can be found in his work. All his paintings have that meticulous, staid and melancholy feeling. There is no hint of ongoing alcoholism, of accosting women in the street, etc. Alcoholism Utrillo started drinking when he was a schoolboy. He would ride the second or third class carriage instead of the first, and use the excess fare to buy one or two glasses of absinthe. (It should be noted that absinthe was the preferred drink of many artists, notably Van Gogh.) Thereafter, until the time late in his middle age when he went overboard with religion, his life was a constant battle with alcoholism. Starting at the tender age of 18, he'd be committed to an institution, but lapse back into alcoholism soon after. Many speculate that Utrillo felt abandoned by his mother, who was busy with her own life, and thus kept seeking solace from the bottle - sometimes literally. A contemporary recounts that he observed Utrillo hugging and stroking an empty wine bottle, only to suddenly smash it agains the ground in a fit of fury. However, I am not too sure about the abandoned-by-mother theory. In fact, Utrillo spent most of his early career - when he was in his twenties - living with his mother, and her boyfriend and eventual husband (who, by the way, was two years Utrillo's junior). Since there is not much mention of Utrillo's alcoholism after he married a wealthy widow and went religion-crazy, I'd surmise that he just happened to have the obsessive personality which causes one to be bored out of his brains by everyday reality. But, again, this speculation doesn't make sense if you look at his meticulous, fastidious, and bland paintings. Reputation Unbelievably, Utrillo's work enjoyed a good reputation even early in his career. His early exhibits received rave reviews and were sold out. Maurice Utrillo even won an award from the French government, the Legion de Honor, thus cementing his reputation and financial security. His paintings continue to fetch a high price today.
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This intel was contributed by nick
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May, 2012
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