Utrillo - Town Hall with Flags

Town Hall with Flags shows Utrillo moving on from his long-running "White Period" into a new style. Compared with earlier works like Berlioz's House, the color here is noticeably richer and more lively.

This scene wasn't painted outdoors from life. At the time, Utrillo was hospitalized for alcoholism treatment, and his mother, Suzanne Valadon, brought him postcards of village scenes so he could keep painting while confined. He worked from those postcards to complete this piece.

The signature in the lower left corner is Utrillo's, though if you compare it with the signatures on other works in the room, telling the difference is far from obvious. In fact, this particular signature was written by his mother, Suzanne Valadon herself—standing in for her ailing son so the painting could be sold that much sooner.