Alfred Sisley
Biography and Paintings of Impressionist
Landscape Painter.
MAIN A-Z INDEX - A-Z of ARTISTS
|
Alfred Sisley
|
|
|
Alfred Sisley (1839–1899)Contents • Introduction NOTE: For analysis of works by Impressionist
painters like Alfred Sisley, |
|
|
Sometimes called the 'forgotten impressionist', Alfred Sisley was and continues to remain the most underestimated apostle of Impressionism. This, despite being one of the most consistent plein-air painters of the movement. Confining himself largely to naturalism and the genre of landscape painting, he rarely attempted figure painting and always found that the Impressionist style met his artistic needs. The English painters JMW Turner (1775-1851) and John Constable (1776-1837), along with the Frenchman Camille Corot (1796-1875), were influences. An understated but influential contributor to French painting, Sisley's best known Impressionist paintings include: Rue de la Machine, Louveciennes (1873), Misty Morning (1874) Snow at Louveciennes (1875); Floods at Port Marly (1876), all in the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, The Walk (1890, Musee d'Art et d'Histoire, Nice), and Moret Bridge in the Sun (1892, Private Collection). He is now recognized as one of the best landscape artists of the nineteenth century. (Note: to understand more about Sisley's style of landscape painting, see: Characteristics of Impressionist Painting 1870-1910.) |
|
WORLD'S BEST MODERN ART |
|
COLOURS USED IN
PAINTING WORLDS TOP ARTISTS POSTERS OF SISLEY TOP-PRICED ART |
Sisley's life, neglected to a certain extent like his work, is not well documented. There are few journals, photos or interviews of interest (he died just before the Impressionist movement really became famous). Born in Paris to English parents, his father was in the silk business. In 1857, at the age of 18 he moved to London to study business, but in 1862 he left to return to Paris, in order to study painting. There he enrolled at Gleyre's studio where he became friendly with Frederic Bazille (1841-1870), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Together, they started plein air painting, which was revolutionary at the time, so as to capture the actual effects of light, instead of trying to conjure the image later in the comfort of their studios. (For more about this period, see: Impressionism, Early History.) Until 1870, Sisley - like Degas (1834-1917) and Cezanne (1839-1906) - did not have to sell paintings to survive, indeed was able to live in comfort thanks to a generous allowance from his father. After Gleyre's studio closed in 1864, he spent the winter in Paris, letting his poorer friends, such as Renoir, stay with him. In the summer he went to the country where, helped by Camille Corot - a member of the Barbizon School of landscape painting - he devoted all his efforts to developing his naturalism. He also joined Monet at Chailly and painted with Renoir along the banks of the Seine, and afterwards at Marlotte, near Fontainebleau. But, when he was in Paris, being shy and rather solitary, he did not often go to the Cafe Guerbois where his friends gathered around their standard-bearer Edouard Manet (1832-83). (For more information, see Impressionism: Origins, Influences.) Sisley was admitted to the Official Salon Exhibitions of 1866, 1868 and 1870. His paintings showed a keen interest in the colour of trees and buildings, and for the changing effects of light and clouds above a landscape. His style was sober, quiet and consistent. In 1870 he lightened his palette and began to use broken touches and strokes of juxtaposed colours. Barges on the St Martin Canal (1870, Oakar Reinhart Foundation, Winterthur) is an example, showing how he depicted reflections on the surface of water by rapid strokes in the style begun by Monet and Renoir at La Grenouillere. Other early landscapes by Sisley include: Lane near a Small Town (1864, Kunsthalle, Bremen); Village Street in Marlotte (1866, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo); Women Going to the Woods (1866, Bridgestone Museum, Tokyo) and View of Montmartre from the Cite des Fleurs (1869, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Grenoble). These early views are sombre in tone, but displayed a detailed construction and a taste for broad areas of sky and ample spaces. In his still life painting, Heron with Wings Spread (1867, Musee d'Orsay), his subtle harmonies of tone are apparent. |
|
|
Financial Crisis Impressionist
Exhibitions Moret-sur-Loing Like the English landscape artist John Constable, Sisley only liked to paint places he knew well, and he particularly liked the Seine and Thames valley areas. His works - like those of Monet and Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) - are what art historians would call 'pure' Impressionism. Even so, because his work never evolved outside of this area, his paintings have been largely neglected, and while he is relatively famous, very few of his works are known. It is suggested that he became a victim of style, a slave to Impressionism, rather than using it as a base to progress. Whatever the case, it is true that his evolvement as an artist was not as dramatic as other modern artists of his group, like Monet or Degas, both of whom lived into the 20th century. Because Sisley’s subject matter was largely limited to landscapes, in which only a few characters may appear as decoration, many viewed his style of painting as boring and lacking a personal touch. However, much the same can be said of Monet. His relatively early death put an end to the sign of renewal in his painting that was appearing in the 1890s. Overall, his paintings have been overshadowed by more famous painters of the time - in particular by Monet whose work he most resembles - although Sisley tended to be less experimental and worked on a smaller scale. Sisley is one of the great figures of the Impressionist movement. A fervent disciple of outdoor painting and clear tone values, like Corot and Pissarro he loved the countryside of the Ile-de-France. His work, however, differs from theirs in its concern for composition and an almost monumental balance, contrasting with a quiet familiarity of his chosen sites. He is now ranked as one of the great Impressionist painters and one of the great landscape artists in the history of art. His works can be seen in many of the best art museums around the world, notably the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. |
|
• For more biographies of modern French
artists, see: Famous Painters.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VISUAL ARTISTS |
