Street in Sannois
- Artist: Maurice Utrillo (Artists)
- Date: c. 1912
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the “Street in Sannois” by Maurice Utrillo. Utrillo is best known for his quiet, almost absent‑figure scenes of Paris and its suburbs. In this canvas he turns his eye to a quiet lane in Sannois, a village about sixteen kilometres north of Paris where he spent time in treatment for alcoholism. The work dates to around 1912 and sits in oil on canvas.
It belongs to his “white period,” a phase when he obsessed over white façades. Notice how he mixed plaster into the oil to give the buildings that rough, chalky texture. He deliberately left the painting unvarnished, keeping a matte finish that feels very much like the real houses. The absence of varnish lets the light sit on the canvas rather than shine through, echoing the muted atmosphere of a quiet morning.
Utrillo’s brushwork here is loose but controlled, capturing the linear geometry of the street while keeping the figures minimal. It’s as if the village itself becomes the protagonist, a quiet witness to the artist’s own struggles and his fascination with white stone. The painting invites you to pause and read the subtle dialogue between light, texture, and the understated human presence.
See it in person
Street in Sannois hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
