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AlfredSisleyWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

AlfredSisley
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

AlfredSisley(/ssli/French:[sisl]30October183929
January1899)wasanImpressionistlandscapepainterwho
wasbornandspentmostofhislifeinFrance,butretained
Britishcitizenship.Hewasthemostconsistentofthe
Impressionistsinhisdedicationtopaintinglandscapeen
pleinair(i.e.,outdoors).Hedeviatedintofigurepainting
onlyrarelyand,unlikeRenoirandPissarro,foundthat
Impressionismfulfilledhisartisticneeds.

AlfredSisley

Amonghisimportantworksareaseriesofpaintingsofthe
RiverThames,mostlyaroundHamptonCourt,executedin
1874,andlandscapesdepictingplacesinornearMoretsur
Loing.ThenotablepaintingsoftheSeineanditsbridgesin
theformersuburbsofParisarelikemanyofhislandscapes,
characterizedbytranquillity,inpaleshadesofgreen,pink,
purple,dustyblueandcream.OvertheyearsSisley'spower
ofexpressionandcolorintensityincreased.[1]

Contents
AlfredSisley:1882

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Biography
Work
Selectedworks
Gallery
Notes
References
Externallinks

Biography

Born

30October1839
Paris,France

Died

29January1899(aged59)
MoretsurLoing,France

Nationality

British

Education

MarcCharlesGabrielGleyre

Knownfor

Painting

Movement

Impressionism

SisleywasborninParistoaffluent
Britishparents.Hisfather,William
Sisley,wasinthesilkbusiness,and
hismotherFeliciaSellwasa
cultivatedmusicconnoisseur.
In1857attheageof18,Sisleywas
senttoLondontostudyforacareer
inbusiness,butheabandonedit
afterfouryearsandreturnedto
Parisin1861.From1862,he
MoleseyWeirMorning,oneofthe
studiedatthePariscoledes
paintingsexecutedbySisleyonhisvisitto
BeauxArtswithintheatelierof
Britainin1874
SwissartistMarcCharlesGabriel
PierreAugusteRenoir,
Gleyre,wherehebecame
AlfredSisleyandhiswife
acquaintedwithFrdricBazille,ClaudeMonet,andPierreAugusteRenoir.
Togethertheywouldpaintlandscapesenpleinairratherthaninthestudio,in
ordertorealisticallycapturethetransienteffectsofsunlight.Thisapproach,innovativeatthetime,resultedin
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paintingsmorecolorfulandmorebroadlypaintedthanthepublic
wasaccustomedtoseeing.Consequently,Sisleyandhisfriends
initiallyhadfewopportunitiestoexhibitorselltheirwork.Their
workswereusuallyrejectedbythejuryofthemostimportantart
exhibitioninFrance,theannualSalon.Duringthe1860s,though,
Sisleywasinabetterfinancialpositionthansomeofhisfellow
artists,ashereceivedanallowancefromhisfather.
In1866,SisleybeganarelationshipwithEugnieLesouezec
(18341898alsoknownasMarieLescouezec),aBretonlivingin
Paris.Thecouplehadtwochildren:sonPierre(born1867)and
daughterJeanne(1869).[2]Atthetime,Sisleylivednotfarfrom
AvenuedeClichyandtheCafGuerbois,thegatheringplaceof
manyParisianpainters.

RestalongtheStream.EdgeoftheWood,
1878,Mused'Orsay

In1868,hispaintingswereacceptedattheSalon,buttheexhibition
didnotbringhimfinancialorcriticalsuccessnordidsubsequent
exhibitions.[1]
In1870theFrancoPrussianWarbegan,andasaresultSisley'sfather'sbusinessfailedandthepainter'ssole
meansofsupportbecamethesaleofhisworks.Fortheremainderofhislifehewouldliveinpoverty,ashis
paintingsdidnotrisesignificantlyinmonetaryvalueuntilafterhisdeath.[3]Occasionally,however,Sisley
wouldbebackedbypatronsandthisallowedhim,amongotherthings,tomakeafewbrieftripstoBritain.
Thefirstoftheseoccurredin1874afterthefirstindependentImpressionistexhibition.Theresultofafew
monthsspentnearLondonwasaseriesofnearlytwentypaintingsoftheUpperThamesnearMolesey,which
waslaterdescribedbyarthistorianKennethClarkas"aperfectmomentofImpressionism."
Until1880,SisleylivedandworkedinthecountrywestofParisthenheandhisfamilymovedtoasmall
villagenearMoretsurLoing,closetotheforestofFontainebleau,wherethepaintersoftheBarbizonschool
hadworkedearlierinthecentury.Here,asarthistorianAnnePoulethassaid,"thegentlelandscapeswiththeir
constantlychangingatmospherewereperfectlyattunedtohistalents.UnlikeMonet,heneversoughtthedrama
oftherampagingoceanorthebrilliantlycoloredsceneryoftheCted'Azur."[4]
In1881SisleymadeasecondbriefvoyagetoBritain.
In1897SisleyandhispartnervisitedBritainagain,andwerefinallymarriedinCardiffRegisterOfficeon5
August.[5]TheystayedatPenarth,whereSisleypaintedatleastsixoilsoftheseaandthecliffs.InmidAugust
theymovedtotheOsborneHotelatLanglandBayontheGowerPeninsula,whereheproducedatleasteleven
oilpaintingsinandaroundLanglandBayandRothersladeBay(thencalledLady'sCove).Theyreturnedto
FranceinOctober.ThiswasSisley'slastvoyagetohisancestralhomeland.TheNationalMuseumCardiff
possessestwoofhisoilpaintingsofPenarthandLangland.
ThefollowingyearSisleyappliedforFrenchcitizenship,butwasrefused.Asecondapplicationwasmadeand
supportedbyapolicereport,butillnessintervened,[6]andSisleyremainedBritishtillhisdeath.
Thepainterdiedon29January1899inMoretsurLoingattheageof59,afewmonthsafterthedeathofhis
wife.

Work
Sisley'sstudentworksarelost.Hisfirstlandscapepaintingsaresombre,colouredwithdarkbrowns,greens,and
paleblues.TheywereoftenexecutedatMarlyandSaintCloud.LittleisknownaboutSisley'srelationshipwith
thepaintingsofJ.M.W.TurnerandJohnConstable,whichhemayhaveseeninLondon,butsomehave
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suggestedthattheseartistsmayhaveinfluencedhisdevelopmentas
anImpressionistpainter,[7]asmayhaveGustaveCourbetandJean
BaptisteCamilleCorot.
AmongtheImpressionists,Sisleyhasbeenovershadowedby
Monet,whoseworkhisresemblesinstyleandsubjectmatter,
althoughSisley'seffectsaremoresubdued.[8]Describedbyart
historianRobertRosenblumashaving"almostagenericcharacter,
animpersonaltextbookideaofaperfectImpressionistpainting",[9]
hisworkstronglyinvokesatmosphere,andhisskiesarealways
impressive.Heconcentratedonlandscapemoreconsistentlythan
anyotherImpressionistpainter.

AvenueofChestnutTreesnearLaCelle
SaintCloud,1865

AmongSisley'sbestknownworksareStreetinMoretandSand
Heaps,bothownedbytheArtInstituteofChicago,andTheBridge
atMoretsurLoing,shownatMused'Orsay,Paris.Alledes
peupliersdeMoret(TheLaneofPoplarsatMoret)hasbeenstolen
threetimesfromtheMusedesBeauxArtsinNiceoncein1978
whenonloaninMarseilles(recoveredafewdayslaterinthecity's
sewers),againin1998(whenthemuseum'scuratorwasconvicted
ofthetheftandjailedforfiveyearswithtwoaccomplices)and
finallyinAugust2007(on4June2008Frenchpolicerecoveredit
andthreeotherstolenpaintingsfromavaninMarseilles).[10]
AlargenumberoffakeSisleyshavebeendiscovered.Sisley
producedsome900oilpaintings,some100pastelsandmanyother
drawings,althoughheonlylivedtobe59yearsold.[11]

LaSeineaupointdujour,1877,Muse
Malraux,LeHavre

Selectedworks
AvenueofChestnutTreesnearLaCelleSaintCloud(c.
1865)
VillageStreetinMarlotte(1866)
AvenueofChestnutTreesnearLaCelleSaintCloud(1867)
StillLifewithHeron(1867)
TheSeineatSt.Mammes(186769)
ViewofMontmartrefromthecitedesFleurs(1869)
EarlySnowatLouveciennes(c.187172)
BoulevardHeloise,Argenteuil(1872)
BridgeatVilleneuvelaGarenne(1872)
FerrytotheIledelaLogeFlood(1872)
FootbridgeatArgenteuil(1872)
LaGrandeRue,Argenteuil(c.1872)
SquareinArgenteuil(RuedelaChaussee)(1872)
ChemindelaMachineLouveciennes(1873)
FactoryintheFlood,Bougival(1873)
RuedelaPrincesse,Louveciennes(1873)
SentierdelaMicote,Louveciennes(1873)
AmongtheVinesLouveciennes(1874)
BridgeatHamptonCourt(1874)
TheLesson(1874)
MoleseyWeirMorning(1874)
RegattaatHamptonCourt(1874)
RegattaatMolesey(1874)
SnowontheRoadLouveciennes(1874)
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TheTerraceatSaintGermain,Spring,
1875.TheWaltersArtMuseum

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UndertheBridgeatHamptonCourt(1874)
StreetinLouveciennes(RuedelaPrincesse)(1875)
TheTerraceatSaintGermain,Spring(1875)
"TheTerraceatSaintGermain,Spring"(1875)
SmallMeadowsinSpring(c.1881)
LePortdeMoretsurLoing:Lesoir(1884)
TheLoingatSaintMamms(1885),MuseMalraux,Le
Havre
StorrRock,Lady'sCove,lesoir(1897)
Onthecliffs,LanglandBay(1897)

Gallery

FloodatPortMarly,1876.Mused'Orsay

St.MartinCanal,1870

EarlySnowat
Louveciennes,c.1871
1872

BridgeatVilleneuvela
Garenne1872

SentierdelaMicote,
Louveciennes,1873

AmongtheVines
Louveciennes,1874

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Fog,Voisins,1874

BridgeatHamptonCourt,
1874

RegattaatHampton
Court,1874

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RegattaatMolesey,1874

SnowontheRoad
Louveciennes,1874

Meadow,1875

UndertheBridgeat
HamptonCourt,1874

LePontdeMoret,effet
d'orage,1887,Muse
Malraux,LeHavre

ViewofSaintMamms,
(circa1880).TheWalters
ArtMuseum.

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SmallMeadowsinSpring,
c.1881

ApathatLesSablons,
1883

Seaside,Langland,1887

WomenGoingtothe
Woods,1886

ChurchinMoret,1889

SaintMammsam
Morgen,1890

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Notes
1.[RichardShone:Sisley.London:PhaidonPress1999.
ISBN0714838926]
2.Turner2000,pp.400401.
3.Denvir2000,p.265.
4.Poulet1979,p.77.
5.ASisleypaintingofthesouthWalescoast(http://ww
w.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/?article_id=13
8)
6.BBCRadio46November2008,MisfitsinFrance
7.Turner2000,p.401.

7.Turner2000,p.401.
8.Bomfordetal.1990,p.203.
9.Rosenblum1989,p.306.
10."FrenchNationalPleadsGuiltytoInternationalStolen
ArtConspiracy".earthtimes.com.10July2008.
Retrieved8August2007.
11.AlfredSisley,page82,FranoisDaulte,Alfred
Sisley,Cassell,1988.ISBN9780304322220

References
Bomford,David,JoKirby,JohnLeighton,AshokRoy,andRaymondWhite(1990).Impressionism.
London:NationalGallery.ISBN0300050356
Daulte,F.(1959).AlfredSisleyCatalogueraisonneedel'oeuvrepeint
Denvir,B.(2000).TheChronicleofImpressionism:AnIntimateDIaryoftheLivesandWorldofthe
GreatArtists.London:Thames&Hudson.OCLC43339405
Poulet,A.L.,&Murphy,A.R.(1979).CorottoBraque:FrenchPaintingsfromtheMuseumofFine
Arts,Boston.Boston:TheMuseum.ISBN0878461345
Reed,Nicholas,(2008).SisleyontheThamesandtheWelshCoast.LilburnePress.ISBN9781901167
207
Rosenblum,Robert(1989).PaintingsintheMused'Orsay.NewYork:Stewart,Tabori&Chang.ISBN
1556700997
Turner,J.(2000).FromMonettoCzanne:late19thcenturyFrenchartists.GroveArt.NewYork:St
Martin'sPress.ISBN0312229712

Externallinks
AlfredSisley.org(http://www.alfredsisley.org/)
PaintingsbySisley(http://www.museumsyndicate.com/artist.php?
artist=147)
SisleyimagesandbiographyatCGFA(http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/sisle
y/index.html)
TheImpressionistsatBiography(https://web.archive.org/web/200

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(archived6March2005)
Impressionism:acentenaryexhibition,theMetropolitanMuseumofArt,December12,1974February
10,1975(http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/78705),fullydigitized
textfromTheMetropolitanMuseumofArtlibraries
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