Alfred Sisley

French, 1839 - 1899

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Painted in mostly in jewel tones of topaz and aquamarine blue, and sage, spring, and pine green, a meadow is enclosed by a wooden fence, against a landscape of gently rolling hills under a vibrant sky in this horizontal painting. The scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes. Touches of white, cotton candy-pink, ruby-red, and azure-blue paint in the long grasses close to us could be wildflowers. A few swipes of straw yellow and pale and lapis blue could represent two people, standing and kneeling, in the field close to the fence. The rickety fence starts at the right edge of the canvas and extends into the distance, angling away from us to our left. Rolling hills beyond are a patchwork of emerald green and caramel brown, and are dotted with trees with full, dark green canopies. One brown building sits on the crest of a hill to our right of center. The horizon comes about halfway up this picture, and the turquoise-colored sky is dotted with white puffs of clouds. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right corner, “Sisley 75.”
Alfred Sisley, Meadow, 1875, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.83

Meadow

Alfred Sisley · 1875 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1970.17.83

Clouds hunker over a water-logged street that separates us from the end of a row of buildings in this horizontal painting. The scene is loosely painted, especially in the sky and water. The lowest level of the building across from us is apricot orange. The second story is pale peach, and dormered windows cut into the gray and then brown rooflines above. The words “AS’ NICOLAS” are painted in gray near the top of the second level, and more letters on the level below are illegible. The roofline drops down a level where it meets the structure next to it, along the left edge of the canvas. Two women in long skirts stand at a darkened, open doorway near the front corner of the structure. A sign on the side of the building hangs from a horizontal arm over three men in and near a shallow boat, which is being propelled by a man who stands in the stern with a long stick. The street is so wet that it first appears to be a canal or river. It is only when we notice dashes of mauve, pale pink, and gray to our left that we realize the cobblestone road is flooded. A band of buildings with tan walls and black or red roofs spans the right two-thirds of the horizon, which comes about a quarter of the way up this composition. A grove of cinnamon-brown trees and some open structures could be a submerged park in the near distance. Two poles and some spindly trees to our right are reflected in the water. Dark forms around these areas could be more people. Pale blue and very pale pink whip together in the sky, suggesting churning clouds veiling the blue sky. The artist signed and dated the work in the lower left corner, “Sisley 72.”
Alfred Sisley, Flood at Port-Marly, 1872, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.38

Flood at Port-Marly

Alfred Sisley · 1872 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1985.64.38

People and a horse-drawn wagon move along a street lined with buildings on the left and trees on the right in this loosely painted horizontal landscape. The wide street angles from the bottom left of the composition to the middle right. The surface of the road is painted with strokes of apricot orange, light gray, rust red, and olive green, and it leads back to a slate-blue, blurred area suggesting trees in the distance. The two, three, or four-story buildings are close together or may be joined. They are painted in muted tones of parchment white, pale peach, and blue gray. Closest to us and to the left, a long brown roof and two bare trees sit beyond an ivy-covered stone wall. The people are indistinct and small in relation to the scene and are dressed in black, brown, olive-green, and slate-blue clothing. One of two carriages is across the road from us and the second one is farther back. On our side of the road, a man wearing a long black jacket and gray pants strolls away from us past a neat row of trees lining the peach-colored sidewalk. The overcast gray and pale pink sky is above. The artist signed and dated the lower left corner, “Sisley. 72.”
Alfred Sisley, Boulevard Héloïse, Argenteuil, 1872, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.82

Boulevard Héloïse, Argenteuil

Alfred Sisley · 1872 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1970.17.82

Closest to us in the image, a person dressed in a light colored tunic stands on the grassy bank accompanied by a group of geese, some walking on land and some wading into the water. Further beyond, the water of the river is a mix of blues and greens. Two individuals are rowing a small boat on the river. In the distance are a cluster of red-roofed houses along the riverbank. Above the horizon, the sky occupies a significant portion of the composition, painted with soft blues and punctuated by greyish-pink clouds.
Alfred Sisley, Ambroise Vollard, Auguste Clot, Banks of the River (Les Bords de rivière), 1897, color lithograph on wove paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1950.16.234

Banks of the River (Les Bords de rivière)

Alfred Sisley, Ambroise Vollard, Auguste Clot · 1897 · color lithograph on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1950.16.234

Alfred Sisley, Banks of the Loing near Saint-Mammès (Bords du Loing, pres Saint-Mammès), 1896, lithograph printed in brown on wove paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1950.17.270

Banks of the Loing near Saint-Mammès (Bords du Loing, pres Saint-Mammès)

Alfred Sisley · 1896 · lithograph printed in brown on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1950.17.270

Alfred Sisley, On the Banks of the Loing: Six Boats at their Moorings, 1890, etching on laid paper, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2022.25.2

On the Banks of the Loing: Six Boats at their Moorings

Alfred Sisley · 1890 · etching on laid paper ·  Accession ID  2022.25.2

Alfred Sisley, On the Banks of the Loing: The Canal Bank, 1890, etching with burnishing on laid paper, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2022.25.4

On the Banks of the Loing: The Canal Bank

Alfred Sisley · 1890 · etching with burnishing on laid paper ·  Accession ID  2022.25.4

Alfred Sisley, On the Banks of the Loing: The Cart, 1890, etching with bitten tone and burnishing on laid paper, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2022.25.1

On the Banks of the Loing: The Cart

Alfred Sisley · 1890 · etching with bitten tone and burnishing on laid paper ·  Accession ID  2022.25.1

Alfred Sisley, On the Banks of the Loing: Houses by the Water, 1890, etching with burnishing on laid paper, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2022.25.3

On the Banks of the Loing: Houses by the Water

Alfred Sisley · 1890 · etching with burnishing on laid paper ·  Accession ID  2022.25.3

Alfred Sisley, The Road in the Woods, 1879, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.215

The Road in the Woods

Alfred Sisley · 1879 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1963.10.215