Maurice Utrillo, Paris Avenue with Moulin Rouge, 1940s

by Atelier Liesjes

A vibrant and historic cityscape in which Utrillo depicts the iconic Moulin Rouge cabaret - an image of urban energy, cultural memory and visual clarity.

🎨 What you see
At the centre is the Moulin Rouge's red windmill, with its name in big red letters on the facade.

Around it are shops and cafés, including inscriptions like TABARIN and TABAC, referring to the vibrant nightlife.

Walking figures and a car in the foreground bring rhythm and movement to the scene.

The brushwork is loose and impressionistic, with a muted colour palette that evokes a nostalgic, urban atmosphere.

🧩 Theme
Utrillo here depicts Paris as a place of entertainment and cultural identity - the Moulin Rouge as a symbol of bohemian life and artistic freedom.

In the 1940s, during and after the war, the work takes on an extra charge: an image of urban continuity and cultural resilience.

The cabaret acts as a visual beacon, a landmark in the changing urban landscape.

📍 Style and technique
Typical of Utrillo's late illustrative style: decorative touch, softer colours, and a lighter approach than his "white period".

The brushwork is friendly and rhythmic, with an almost watercolourist approach to cityscapes.

The composition is horizontal and balanced, with the windmill as the visual centrepiece - an image of orientation and cultural resonance.

Maurice Utrillo (26 December 1883 - 5 November 1955) was a painter from France, born in Paris, lived in Montmartre and died in Dax. The artist worked mainly with Sober colours: Many greys, whites, ochres and browns - often with melancholic undertones. Furthermore, he worked with simplified forms: No theatrical perspectives or dramatic lighting, but a quiet, almost naive approach. His style was Post-impressionist.