Alfred Sisley

M. Kapférer, Paris
Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired from the above on 26th February 1889)
Durand-Ruel et Cie., Paris (acquired from the above on 24th October 1890)
Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris (1901-1913)
Georges Durand-Ruel, Paris (by descent from the above)
Viscount Rothermere, London (acquired from the above on 15th February 1937)
Mary, Viscountess Rothermere, London (by descent from the above. Sold: Christie's, New York, 12th May 1999, lot 13)
Sale: Christie's, New York, 9th May 2001, lot 9
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Périgeux, Exposition de la Société des Beaux-Arts, 1898
Manchester, The Manchester City Art Gallery, Modern French Paintings, 1907-08, no. 182 (titled The Banks of the Canal)
Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Tableaux de Sisley, 1930, no. 55 (titled Bords de canal, St-Mammès)
Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Exposition de tableaux par Alfred Sisley, 1937, no. 35 (titled Bords de canal à St-Mammès)
London, Wildenstein & Co., Inc., The French Impressionists and Some of Their Contemporaries, 1963, no. 31, illustrated in the catalogue
Hiroshima, Prefectural Art Museum & Tokyo, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Monet and Renoir: Two Great Impressionist Trends, 2003-04, no. 31, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Lausanne, 1959, no. 611, illustrated

The canvas is lined. There is no evidence of retouching under ultra-violet light. This work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although stronger and richer in the original, particularly in the sky.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Sisley first moved with his family to Veneux-Nadon near Moret-sur-Loing in 1880, and continued to live in that area for the rest of his life, moving several times between the two villages. The local scenery offered a constant source of inspiration to the artist, who tried to capture the relationship between land, water and sky as well as the changing effects of light on his surroundings. In her discussion of Sisley's paintings executed in this region, Vivienne Couldrey noted: 'It is difficult to over-emphasise the importance of Moret, for Sisley painted most of his life's work in the area [...]. 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).

 

In the present composition, two figures are depicted on the river bank, probably resting from their daily labour in the shadow of a tree. The accentuated diagonal line that separates the path and the water leads the viewer's eye towards the depth of the landscape, with small houses lining the far bank of the river. The beautifully painted sky that occupies a large section of the composition embodies the importance that the artist attached to this part of the landscape, as explained in a letter to his friend, the art critic Adolphe Tavernier: 'The sky is not simply a background; its planes give depth (for the sky has planes, as well as solid ground), and the shapes of clouds give movement to a picture. What is more beautiful indeed than the summer sky, with its wispy clouds idly floating across the blue? What movement and grace! Don't you agree? They are like waves on the sea; one is uplifted and carried away' (quoted in Sisley (exhibition catalogue), Wildenstein & Co., New York, 1966, n.p.).