Artwork
Saint Peter Church and the Holy Hart in Paris
Saint Peter Church and the Holy Hart in Paris is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Maurice Utrillo. It dates from 1912 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Overview
Maurice Utrillo’s 1912 oil painting, titled Saint Peter Church and the Holy Hart in Paris, offers a modest urban view of the Sacré‑Cœur basilica. Executed in a restrained palette, the work measures a typical early‑twentieth‑century canvas and is currently part of the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a diminutive church structure crowned by a prominent white dome and a slender bell tower, its façade marked by a clock and a tree that leans against the wall. Two pedestrians traverse the street below, suggesting everyday life intersecting with the sacred space, while the surrounding fence delineates the public promenade.
Technique & Style
Utrillo employs a smooth, almost muted application of oil, allowing the pale sky and softened hues to convey a tranquil atmosphere. The brushwork renders the building’s weathered plaster and peeling paint with subtle texture, while the delicate rendering of the tree and figures demonstrates his characteristic focus on quiet, unembellished city scenes.
History & Provenance
Created during Utrillo’s prolific period of Parisian cityscapes, the painting was later acquired by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, where it remains on display. Its presence in a Belgian institution reflects the early twentieth‑century interest in French urban subjects among European collectors.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Maurice Utrillo was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. From the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of Montmartre to have been born there.
