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A survey of the life and work of Alfred Sisley, one of the leading exponents of the Impressionist movement. The text examines how Sisley's painting life was devoted to the landscape. The author examines the tonal balance of such celebrated paintings as the snow-scenes of the Paris suburbs, views of the flooded Seine at Port-Marly and the colourful regattas on the Thames. The author recognizes that full recognition for the artist and his work only began after his relatively early death and argues that even now, his work is unjustifiably neglected. In studying Sisley's artistic development, the artist's English nationality, early career, struggle to earn a living, and secluded later years are examined.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Alfred Sisley was born in France to English parents (when younger I assumed he was of French stock, and would pronounce his surname `Seesleh`) and could be thought of as the quiet man of Impressionism. He seems to have been a `correct`, gentlemanly man, sensitive to criticism, and often broke. Like a few other painters of the time he went against the mores of the age by living with his companion Eugenie for many years, fathering a son & daughter, only marrying later in life. Alfred died three months after Eugenie at the age of 59 in 1899.
This lavish book (NB I am reviewing the large hardback edition of 1992 which I would recommend over the Phaidon paperback) is beautifully bound, the reproductions are superb and the text by Richard Shone informative and scrupulous in its research, Sisley`s life being less well-documented than, say, Renoir`s or Monet`s.
What attracts me more and more to Sisley`s reclusive, unfussy paintings is a certain air of solitariness, of loneliness and sparseness in many of the landscapes.
His winter paintings depicting snow scenes are bereft of much comfort, his views of French towns and villages often restrained, muted. Little here of the warmth to be found in Pisarro or Monet. Yet this almost modest quality renders Sisley`s art all the more moving for `showing` less, holding something in reserve. One is sometimes reminded of the washed-out paintings of rainy trees by Corot, or, in one perfect, breeze-blown landscape - "View of Saint-Mammes" - of Daubigny.
Being of British blood, he naturally visited his homeland, taking in the south coast of Wales, including Cardiff - where he and Eugenie married - and, on an earlier trip, London. Here he painted a series of wonderful canvases of the river at Hampton Court, which Kenneth `Civilisation` Clark called "a perfect moment of Impressionism". He wasn`t wrong.
This treasurable book ends with a few restful, though no less inspired pastels, after which there is a valuable chronology, list of plates & index.
Though I wouldn`t stretch the idea too far, one can tell a certain amount about a visual artist by his work. For example, if you were shown some Picassos & Matisses together, you might guess the latter was the less volatile of the two, with a slightly sunnier personality. Looking at a Renoir, perhaps one of his portraits of young women, I should assume he had a strong streak of sentimentality in him - and then some! How can we not see the turbulence in the lives of Munch or van Gogh in many of their works? Sisley most certainly had a solitariness, a reserve, in his nature, along with not a little compassion, with a dash of delicacy that is prevalent in so many of the lovable paintings in this excellent book.
If you wished to play some music while browsing these elegant, unshowy paintings, you might choose Faure`s piano or chamber pieces, or the absurdly neglected works for piano by the equally perfectionist Dukas.
Alfred Sisley: a muted, resolutely unsentimental palette of both chill & warmth.
This lavish book (NB I am reviewing the large hardback edition of 1992 which I would recommend over the Phaidon paperback) is beautifully bound, the reproductions are superb and the text by Richard Shone informative and scrupulous in its research, Sisley`s life being less well-documented than, say, Renoir`s or Monet`s.
What attracts me more and more to Sisley`s reclusive, unfussy paintings is a certain air of solitariness, of loneliness and sparseness in many of the landscapes.
His winter paintings depicting snow scenes are bereft of much comfort, his views of French towns and villages often restrained, muted. Little here of the warmth to be found in Pisarro or Monet. Yet this almost modest quality renders Sisley`s art all the more moving for `showing` less, holding something in reserve. One is sometimes reminded of the washed-out paintings of rainy trees by Corot, or, in one perfect, breeze-blown landscape - "View of Saint-Mammes" - of Daubigny.
Being of British blood, he naturally visited his homeland, taking in the south coast of Wales, including Cardiff - where he and Eugenie married - and, on an earlier trip, London. Here he painted a series of wonderful canvases of the river at Hampton Court, which Kenneth `Civilisation` Clark called "a perfect moment of Impressionism". He wasn`t wrong.
This treasurable book ends with a few restful, though no less inspired pastels, after which there is a valuable chronology, list of plates & index.
Though I wouldn`t stretch the idea too far, one can tell a certain amount about a visual artist by his work. For example, if you were shown some Picassos & Matisses together, you might guess the latter was the less volatile of the two, with a slightly sunnier personality. Looking at a Renoir, perhaps one of his portraits of young women, I should assume he had a strong streak of sentimentality in him - and then some! How can we not see the turbulence in the lives of Munch or van Gogh in many of their works? Sisley most certainly had a solitariness, a reserve, in his nature, along with not a little compassion, with a dash of delicacy that is prevalent in so many of the lovable paintings in this excellent book.
If you wished to play some music while browsing these elegant, unshowy paintings, you might choose Faure`s piano or chamber pieces, or the absurdly neglected works for piano by the equally perfectionist Dukas.
Alfred Sisley: a muted, resolutely unsentimental palette of both chill & warmth.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read several fine books on various artists by Richard Shone and this is no exception. He is always concise and informative with great insight into the artists techniques, their conections with contemporaries and the times they lived in. Apart from the odd colour discrepancy in some of the reproductions this is a quality book, but I have come to expect that from the Phaidon Colour Library.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a biography of English-born artist Alfred Sisley (1839-1899). It was published in 1992.
Although it sounds rather heavy and massive, it is actually filled with plenty of full-page reproductions and illustrations to situate Sisley in context.
The text is well written, highly readable with quotations from archival documents.
Introduction, 7
1. Between England and France, 13
2. Elève de Gleyre, 21
3. Family Affairs, 39
4. An Impressionist in the Suburbs, 51
5. Hampton Court, 67
6. Marly-le-Roi in Snow and Flood, 85
7. Patrons and Poverty, 109
8. Seine et Marne, 125
9. A Changed Man, 141
10. Moret and La Vieille Eglise, 159
11. A Midsummer Marriage, 183
12. 'Mon Malheureux Ami', 195
Notes, 202
Appendices, 215
Chronology, 224
Bibliography, 232
Acknowledgement, 235
Index, 237
Although it sounds rather heavy and massive, it is actually filled with plenty of full-page reproductions and illustrations to situate Sisley in context.
The text is well written, highly readable with quotations from archival documents.
Introduction, 7
1. Between England and France, 13
2. Elève de Gleyre, 21
3. Family Affairs, 39
4. An Impressionist in the Suburbs, 51
5. Hampton Court, 67
6. Marly-le-Roi in Snow and Flood, 85
7. Patrons and Poverty, 109
8. Seine et Marne, 125
9. A Changed Man, 141
10. Moret and La Vieille Eglise, 159
11. A Midsummer Marriage, 183
12. 'Mon Malheureux Ami', 195
Notes, 202
Appendices, 215
Chronology, 224
Bibliography, 232
Acknowledgement, 235
Index, 237
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