La Porte Saint Martin c. 1910

Editor: This is Maurice Utrillo's "La Porte Saint-Martin," housed at the Tate. It looks like it's oil on canvas. I'm struck by the layering of the paint and how that creates such a textured surface. What do you see in this work? Curator: I notice the thick application of paint, almost like a plaster. Consider Utrillo’s famous use of "white impasto," purportedly made with plaster. How does this material choice connect to the urban landscape he's depicting, a city being built and rebuilt? Editor: So, the physical stuff of the painting echoes the physical transformation of the city itself? Curator: Precisely. And think about who was doing that building, the labor involved. It shifts our focus from just a pretty picture of Paris. Fascinating, isn't it? Editor: It really is. I hadn't considered the materiality of the paint in relation to the social context.