Maurice Utrillo

After the marriage to his wife, Lucie Valore, in 1935, Maurice Utrillo moved from Montmartre to Le Vesinet, just outside of Paris.  After suffering from years of mental illness and alcoholism, Utrillo became a very religious man.  From the year of 1935 up until his death on November 5, 1955, Maurice Utrillo was plagued by illness.  It is because of his failing health that he began to paint from memory rather than in plein air, or through a window.  Moulin de Sannois Sous la Neige was painted during this time period.  Although it is highly possible that this painting was completed indoors, Utrillo utilizes vivid colors and a mastery of atmospheric effects to create this petite landscape.  Although Maurice Utrillo was not formally trained but learned to paint through his mother, Suzanne, he gained widespread recognition as an artist by 1920.  A similar painting in composition and appearance to Moulin de Sannois Sous la Neige is housed in the Hecht Museum in Israel and is titled Lapin Agile Sur la Neige.  Both paintings depict white houses with green shutters with people walking down the street.  Our painting is of the village of Sannois, just a short distance from where he was living in Le Vesinet, and to the northwest of Paris.  The painting in the Hecht Museum is of Lapin, also within a close proximity to Le Vesinet and both locations are within what is known as Seine-et-Oise, or the metropolitan area surrounding Paris.  If our painting was indeed achieved through memory, Utrillo was able to accurately recall the features of the village and expertly render the color scheme of the area.  

Maurice Utrillo was born on December 26, 2883 as Maurice Valadon, the son of artist Suzanne Valadon.  After a trapeze accident, Suzanne Valadon gave up her circus career and became a model for artists such as Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Edgar Degas.  It was never known for certain who the father of Maurice Utrillo was, although there has been much speculation on the subject over the years.  Utrillo proved to be a troublesome teenager, which developed into mental disorders and eventually alcoholism.  After suffering a mental breakdown at the age of 21, his mother encouraged him to learn to paint.  His paintings show the street life of Montmartre during all seasons and captured the eye of art critics in 1910.  In 1928 he was awarded the Cross of the Legion on Honor by the French government.

As is seen in Moulin de Sannois Sous la Neige, Maurice Utrillo developed an instantly recognizable and visually appealing style and his paintings grace the faces of hundreds of postcards of the Montmartre area.