NARRATOR:
Titled Sacré-Cœur, this oil painting was created by Pablo Picasso between 1909 and 1910. It measures ninety-three centimetres in height and sixty-five centimetres in width.
The work has the appearance of a sketch or an unfinished painting. Picasso used brief, intermittent lines to create a field of geometric fragments, through which the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, perched atop a hill in Montmartre, Paris, and the city below gradually emerge.
The canvas has a light tan background, while the basilica and houses, clustered above the centre of the painting, are highlighted in chalky white. Among the short, grey lines, you can make out the basilica’s arched portico and columns, and above them, a vague outline of the dome. Between the arches of the portico, you can also see another building topped with a smaller dome.
As you look further down the canvas, you can see the architectural diversity of the city. There are residences, defensive walls, and archways, and the buildings come in different shapes and sizes with gable roofs, flat roofs, and helm roofs. The city along the central axis of the canvas is portrayed in white in greater detail, adding depth and dimensionality to its busy charm. In contrast, the rest of the painting features scattered lines in lighter hues, creating a sense of distance as structures further away from the basilica appear less distinct.
