MAURICE UTRILLO (1883-1955) Lot n° 17

MAURICE UTRILLO (1883-1955) Paysage de Montmagny, 1907 Pastel and pencil on paper Signed lower left Pastel and pencil on paper; signed lower left 23 X 34 CM - 9 X 13 3/8 IN A certificate from Mr. Gilbert Pétridès, dated February 25, 1988, will be given to the buyer A certificate from Mr. Jean Fabris, dated June 16, 1988, will be given to the buyer PROVENANCE Private collection, France Tajan, March 27, 2002, lot 103 Acquired at this sale by the present owner "Utrillo would not be such a great painter of the city if he had not managed, while representing it, to give it a soul. In Utrillo's work, at least when he is equal to himself, the urban landscape is impregnated with humanity, and one should not look for it in the derisory image given by the silhouettes that populate the paintings of the last period. The human figure is absent from the landscapes of the first period and the "white period", or only appears in a fleeting way. But it is precisely when the human figure seems to be absent that we feel his presence the best. In the church as in the houses that line the streets, Utrillo sees first of all the creation of man. But he also sees the envelope of life, spiritual life for the church, daily life for the houses. The facades worn by time are expressive like faces. (...) Utrillo's village, Utrillo's town, Utrillo's Paris have something to tell us, and this something is rather melancholic, sometimes even poignantly sad, in the image of what we know of this artist with a bitter destiny." Bernard de Montgolfier, op. cit Jean Fabris, Maurice Utrillo, Galerie Pétridès, Paris: 1992, p. 14