Alfred Sisley (French, 1840–1899)

b. 1840 — d. 1899

Although Alfred Sisley's parents were British and he himself held British citizenship, he spent the majority of his life in France. He was sent to London in 1857 to study business, but he returned to France four years later and resided there the rest of his life. During his stay in London, he probably became familiar with the works of Constable (q.v.) and Turner (q.v.). Sisley entered the studio of the Swiss painter Charles Gleyre (1806-1874) upon his return to Paris, where he met Monet (q.v.), Renoir (q.v.), and Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870). He painted with Renoir and Bazille periodically around the Parisian countryside, particularly in the forest of Fontainebleau. His early pieces reflect the influence of Daubigny (q.v.) and Corot (q.v.). Sisley's work was accepted at the Salon of 1866, and he exhibited there occasionally until 1870. During the Franco-Prussian War, he moved from Bougival, which was taken by the Prussians, to Paris. Afterward he went to Louveciennes, where he produced landscapes with looser brushwork. He began to exhibit with the impressionists in 1874, and during the summer he traveled to Hampton Court, making several paintings of the river Thames. In need of money, Sisley participated in the Hotel Drouot sales of 1875 and 1877. In 1880 he moved to Veneux-Nadon, near Moret-sur-Loing, searching for new inspiration in the fresh, remote surroundings, and lived in the area for the rest of his life. There he applied greater texture in the paint surface and more vibrant colors. He created series to study the effects of light and atmosphere on a given location, as had Monet. Sisley never experienced financial or critical success during his lifetime. He died of cancer of the throat, without ever obtaining the French nationality that he so intensely desired.