‘[Sisley] was indefatigable in his exploration of the Loing, wide and shallow as it passed under the old bridge at Moret, deepening and curving as, joined first by the canal du Loing and, almost immediately afterwards, by the energetic stream of the Orvanne, it flowed towards Saint-Mammès and out into the Seine. Each adjoining area satisfied the variety of needs within Sisley’s visual temperament’
Sisley’s mature work is largely dedicated to a close observation of the Loing river near Moret. The tranquil setting inspired some of Sisley’s most elegant compositions. Speaking of the aptness of this area of French countryside for the artist, art historian Vivienne Couldrey has noted: ‘It is an essentially Impressionist place with the gentle light of the Ile de France, the soft colours and the constantly changing skies of northern France. There are green woods and pastures, curving tree-lined banks of rivers, canals and narrow streams, wide stretches of the river where the Loing joins the Seine at Saint-Mammès, old stone houses, churches and bridges’ (V. Couldrey, Alfred Sisley, The English Impressionist, Exeter, 1992, p. 68). Painted in a delicate palette of soft pinks, blues and greens L'inondation, effet du matin sur le Loing artfully delineates the flooded banks of the river Loing. The unusually high waters of the river provide an opportune instance for the artist to fulfill his desire to capture the effect of light upon his surroundings under varying weather conditions. Sisley employs quick, lively brushstrokes to depict the rich vegetation and the reflection of the trees on the surface of the river. Executed using a remarkable lightness of brush, Sisley captures the sense of restless energy from the flooded river and the trees appear almost to sway in a breeze. Painted in the last few years of the artist’s life, the present work is exemplary of Sisley’s late work and marks a culmination in his painterly explorations of the area.
Impressionist scholar François Daulte has written: "For the Impressionists, painting meant stopping time in its inexorable flight, 'fixing something of what is passing', evoking the happy minutes. This is why the works of this group of independent artists have never ceased to enchant the men of our century, worried and often discouraged, by offering them the image of a world where beauty reigns.” (F. Daulte, preface for the exhibition Les impressionnistes et leurs précurseurs, Galerie Robert Schmit, Paris, 1972, n.p.). With its rich impasto surface and bucolic palette, L'inondation, effet du matin sur le Loing offers a world of resplendent natural beauty. The two figures standing on the left river bank are dwarfed by the majesty of their environment. L'inondation, effet du matin sur le Loing eloquently articulates Sisley’s steadfast dedication to the Impressionist movement.
"It is at Moret – in this thickly wooded countryside with its tall poplars, the waters of the river Loing here, so beautiful, so translucent, so changeable; at Moret my art has undoubtedly developed most... I will never really leave this little place that is so picturesque."
The present work boasts an impressive provenance, having been acquired shortly after its execution by Edmond Décap. Décap was an avid supporter of the Impressionists who amassed an impressive collection of Impressionist paintings, including a 1903 painting of The Houses of Parliament at Sunset by Claude Monet now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. It was then owned by the French archaeologist Théodore Reinach, whose classically inspired villa on the French Riviera, the Villa Kérylos, is now a museum in Beaulieu-sur-Mer near Nice. It comes to the market now having been in the same distinguished private collection for almost forty years.