AB-MP4-1956-005 — The Alleyway (II) (1956)

Technical information

Title: The Alleyway (II)
Date: 1956
Technique: Oil on cardboard
Dimensions: 56 × 38 cm
Location: Private collection

Biographical / historical context

In the mid-1950s, Breuillaud develops a group of urban images in which street, passageway and façade become pretexts for construction through verticals, flat planes and window rhythms. The Alleyway (II) belongs to this vein: the artist continues transforming the architectural motif into an arrangement of autonomous planes, while preserving a memory of depth and the act of crossing.

The cardboard support, frequent in his studies and variations, suggests an execution that is quick yet considered, allowing him to test chromatic relationships and balances of mass.

Formal / stylistic description

The vertical composition evokes a corridor or narrow passage framed by coloured walls. Built elements—walls, thresholds, openings—are reduced to superimposed rectangles and bands; darker lines, sometimes very thin, act as structural markers and “uprights” that guide the reading.

The range privileges muted greens, blues and pinks, with lighter highlights suggesting a light source at the far end of the alley. Despite the simplification, the painting retains a sense of depth: the stacking of planes and the play of transparencies create a progression toward a more luminous centre.

Comparative analysis / related works

By its theme and format, The Alleyway (II) converses with other urban interpretations by Breuillaud, notably the variations on streets and passages of 1955–1956. Compared with the market scenes or more figurative post-war compositions, the work accentuates the reduction of volumes into coloured modules.

Unlike the researches devoted to pure movement (rotations, whirlwinds), the rhythm here is primarily vertical and architectural: the “column” of planes builds space like a cadence of façades.

Justification of dating and attribution

The date 1956 is confirmed by stylistic coherence with the urban studies of the same period: simplification into geometrised flats, a structuring verticality, and a palette of greens and blues nuanced by pinkish tones.

Breuillaud’s signature appears at lower right in red, in keeping with his habits on cardboards and oil studies of these years. The title and the treatment of the motif (alleyway/passage) correspond to a recurring theme within his corpus.

Provenance / exhibitions / publications

Provenance: Private collection.

Exhibitions: not recorded.

Publications: not recorded.