Utrillo - House at Verno

House at Verno, along with Town Hall with Flags, belongs to the late period of Utrillo's career known as his "Polychrome Period," so named for its use of varied, vivid colors. The setting is Rue Mont-Cenis on the hill of Montmartre, and on the right of the painting you can glimpse part of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica crowning the hilltop.

At the time, Utrillo was hospitalized for alcoholism treatment and couldn't paint the scene outdoors. Instead, he worked from a postcard view of Rue Mont-Cenis, filling in the rest from memory. The street is a must-visit if you're in Montmartre, so this painting is worth recalling if you ever find yourself walking it.

The work dates from 1924, so the house itself no longer stands today, and the street looks quite different from how it appears in the painting.