Bidspirit auction | MAURICE UTRILLO (Paris, 1883 –

MAURICE UTRILLO (Paris, 1883 – Dax, 1955) - La Gare de Belleville-sur-Saône (Rhône) (c.1920–1922) - Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 50.5 x 61 cm. Signed lower right “Maurice Utrillo. V.” In this view of the Belleville-sur-Saône train station, Utrillo turns away from the Parisian bustle to focus on a discreet and tranquil provincial architecture. There is no commotion; just five figures stroll leisurely along the street leading to the station. The composition is constructed diagonally, creating depth and allowing the viewer to “enter” the scene from the curve of the road, beyond the small café hinted at in the foreground on the right. The station, with its light-colored facade and central staircase, could be mistaken for the home of a notary or a doctor were it not for the inscription “Belleville” on the pediment. Utrillo is not seeking a meticulous topographical description, but rather an atmosphere. He is interested in the character of the place: its secluded, almost domestic air, its contained silence. The sky, rendered in a range of pinkish grays and soft blues, suggests an imminent twilight. It is here that the painter demonstrates his chromatic sensitivity, allowing the clouds to converse with the brown tones of the street, which act as a subtle mirror to these vaporous masses. Between these two planes, the architecture asserts itself with sharp contours and an almost graphic structure, while the vegetation and human figures are rendered with denser, more saturated touches. As is typical of Utrillo, the apparent formal naiveté conceals a carefully considered construction. His style, often described as naïve, is in reality a poetic synthesis: he reduces, simplifies, and orders to arrive at the essential. Here, he does not reproduce a season, but rather the memory of a place, the feeling of a tranquil France that was disappearing. Provenance: Former collection of Mr. and Mme. Gustave Cardinal, Paris; Christie's, New York, May 2013; private collection, Geneva. Certificate: Fabris Certificate, February 14, 2012. The document specifies La gare de Belleville-sur-Saône (Rhône), oil on canvas, 50.5 x 61 cm, signed lower right ”Maurice Utrillo. V.”, formerly in the Gustave Cardinal collection, with identification number 5401, signed by Jean Fabris and Cédric Paillie. Lot in international warehouse (outside the EU). For shipments to the European Union, import duties and/or taxes will be the responsibility of the buyer.