Sisley, who trained with Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet,
and Frédéric Bazille, is remembered as the only Impressionist master
unrecognized in his own lifetime. Though technically British, he loved and painted
the French countryside and waterways for decades.
This oil painting is a quintessential example of Sisley’s work: a verdant scene beneath soft clouds, reflected lazily in the calm waters below. While his grass is painted almost hastily, defined by broad strokes, the individual leaves on his trees suggest Impressionism’s characteristic balance of detail and vagueness. And despite the simplicity of the trees’ forms, they perfectly fit the depth of the painting, leading the eye gradually to the horizon. The viewer does not immediately focus on any one aspect: the eye travels comfortably and naturally from one portion to the next. The art welcomes, but does not force, the viewer to enjoy.
