Utrillo

Street by Maurice Utrillo

Pictionary (version b)
Have children draw one slip from all of these thrown in a hat. After they guess, explain the correlation to Utrillo

French Fries:  born in France (1883-1955) was 72 years old when he passed away

Child:  born as an illegitimate child to Suzanne Valadon. He was raised by his grandmother and the story goes that she would spike his soup with wine as an aid to get him to sleep. He was given the name Utrillo when he was 8 by a Spanish art critic of that name. He was an unhappy and neurotic child. His family lived in the country and he attended school in Paris.

Family: His mother was a clothing designer, painters model and a painter. She also posed for Renoir, Lautrec and Degas. Degas admired her work and she probably modeled for him as well. He did not marry until he was 52. He married Lucie Valore and moved out of town for good to Le Vesinet, not far to the west of Paris.

Wine Glass:  While going to school in Paris in his early teens, he formed the habit of stopping off for a glass of wine before taking the train home each night. He was a very bad student and eventually dropped out of school. It soon became necessary for him to paint as to drink. He would drink all night and paint all day.

House:  The mansion in the garden at the back is the oldest hotel on Montmartre, and one of it’s first owners was Claude Roze. The house was Renoir’s first Montmartre address and many other names moved through the premises. Many painters regarded him as the greatest painter of Urban scenes. He was fascinated by the sad little streets and miserable bistros of the Industrial suburbs. He also painted some of the great cathedrals of France and panoramas. But as the painter of the unheralded sights of the French capital that he will be known forever.

Hospital:  By the time he was 18, he had to be confined to an asylum fo acute alcoholism. It was while he was shut away, the first of many incarcerations that he took u painting as a form of occupational therapy. While at Saint-Anne, it was suggested that he use painting as therapy. Painting became his way to make money to buy more booze. When he was locked up. It became necessary for him to paint from memory or picture postcards.

Medal: Legion of Honor; he received this honor in 1929

Postcard:  he always painted what he saw. Lapin Agile Painting; from his grave at St. Vincent Cemetery you can see the roof of the cabaret.

California: Street painting is now the property and hangs in the art museum at California State University