The Church of Saint-Séverin c. 1913

Maurice Utrillo made this painting of the Church of Saint-Séverin using oil on canvas. What really grabs me here is the way Utrillo builds up the surface. Look at the walls of the buildings, those creamy whites and grays aren't just flat color. He's layering paint, creating a crusty texture that feels almost like the actual weathered stone of Paris. You can practically feel the grit! I see this as a process of accrual, like the city itself, built up over time. And then there's that touch of green, that shopfront. It's a totally different texture, smooth and solid, pulling our eye into the composition. Utrillo, with his focus on the streets of Paris, always reminds me a bit of Edward Hopper. Both capture a certain loneliness, a quiet beauty in the everyday. But where Hopper is all about clean lines and stark light, Utrillo is messy, human. His Paris is worn, but still beautiful. In art, like life, it's the imperfections that make it interesting, right?