Welcome to this new episode of how to loosen up your painting. It's a popular choice because I asked my artist community on YouTube whom they wanted to hear about next, and Alfred Sisley was chosen. I think this is mostly because a lot of artists don't really know too much about this particular impressionist. So we're going to look at Alfred Sisley and compare him to Claude Monet. We're going to look at Alfred Sisley, his early life, and his progress with his career. It's a tale of success and tragedy, and overall, perhaps not the happiest story, but we can learn a lot from it. He also painted some lovely paintings, some true impressionist masterpieces. So, let's jump in and start at the beginning. Alfred Sisley was born in Paris on October 30th, 1839, to rather affluent English parents who provided him with a safe and secure upbringing. Alfred Sisley's father, William, made a fortune selling artificial flowers, and his mother also came from a refined and well-to-do London family. So Alfred's parents moved to Paris due to the father's business interests and slotted in quite comfortably in the upper echelons of bourgeois society.
When he returned to Paris in 1862, he told his parents that he didn't want to work in commerce and wanted to become a painter. His parents, being quite well-to-do, had no problem with this. They agreed and sent him to study with the painter Charles Gullier, a famous art teacher who followed the classical style of Jacques Louis David, for instance. But his work was also influenced by popular storytelling of the time. He focused on painting figures and was not interested in landscapes, viewing them only as backgrounds for his compositions. When I mention was influenced by popular storytelling, we're talking about the sort of concepts that inspired many of the old masters and that they were commissioned to paint. It could be stirring events of the time, such as Napoleon, or it could be biblical or allegorical scenes. Perhaps a little bit of propaganda thrown in here or there for the ruling monarch. So, while studying at the studio, Alfred Sisley became friends with Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Frédéric Bazel. Gullier's strict discipline was challenging for the four students who preferred a different approach to learning. They wanted to paint the real world outdoors, revel in the modern and exciting new world, and not spend their time in a stuffy classroom studying the old masters. In 1863, Sisley and his friends started painting together outdoors. They wanted to study the subjects that interested them and objected to the methodical and stultifying approach of the traditional art teacher. They sought more freedom for self-expression and were inspired by the Barbizon painters. Following the example of these painters, Sisley and Monet went to the edge of the Fontainebleau forest to paint in the open air, and there, they encountered other artists of different backgrounds. Sisley and Bazille were wealthy and could paint as they pleased, but Monet and Renoir were not as affluent, and we've already seen how Monet struggled financially. But they all learned to paint together and had a strong camaraderie. Sisley's early works from the 1860s have not survived so it's impossible to judge them. However, his later style suggests that these early works helped him discover his creative talents. He still had a lot of support and friendship with these other artists, like Monet and Renoir. So we can assume that they held him in regard as a contemporary. As mentioned, Sisley painted at Fontainebleau and went on expeditions along the Seine Valley and into Normandy to find subjects to paint. In the winter he rented a studio where Monet and Renoir often came to work. In 1865, Sisley and Renoir stayed in Marlotte on the Seine and were joined by Monet and Camille Pissarro. Imagine sharing time and space with all of these masters. Sisley exhibited two of his works from this period, the mid-1860s, at the Salon in 1866. So Sisley was not a revolutionary and didn't show hostility to the Salon. Well,, not at this stage. In 1867, his works were rejected, and he signed a petition for a Salon des Refusés along with Renoir and Bazal. In the 1860s, Sisley was still having a good life. He was wealthy and ambitious and enjoyed spending time with these other young master artists. In 1866, he married Marie-Eugène Lescautier and had two children. This didn't change his lifestyle much as he could afford to support his family and continue painting. He spent summers in Normandy or Fontainebleau and winters in Paris, where he attended gatherings at Café Gourbois. People like Émile Zola also visited the Café and spoke highly of the group of artists saying that they were at the forefront of the art movement. He already had a rejection or two from the Salon, and in 1869, his work was rejected once again. However, in 1870, it was accepted. The Salon's decisions depended on the jury, which changed almost every year. The young impressionist's fortunes often depended on the jury's makeup. By 1870 Sisley had been painting for almost eight years but very little of his work from that period is known to us. Only eight landscapes and four still-life compositions survive. These early works didn't quite show the talent that would emerge in the 1870s but showed promise. After 1872 when Sisley was supported by the dealer Paul Durand-Ruel his work had a better chance of survival once exhibited or sold even if he earned relatively small summers for these paintings. So during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 to 71 Sisley faced a difficult time as the war caused his father's business to fail leaving him without financial support from his family. This forced Sisley, like Monet, Pissarro, and Renoir, to rely solely on selling paintings to make a living. The loss of his family's wealth changed Sisley's personality, making him more reserved and melancholy. Unlike Pissarro or Monet who were accustomed to financial struggles, Sisley found it hard to adjust to poverty. Despite these challenges, Sisley remained committed to his painting career and continued to depict scenes from the village of Louvenciennes near Paris and Versailles, where he and Renoir spent time during the war. Sisley liked to paint in the forest at Mali just north of Le Vincienne. Some of his best work from the 1870s was inspired by this area. In 1871, an art exhibition in London included one of Sisley's paintings. Once again, these exhibitions were organized by Durand-Ruel, the gallery owner and supporter of these young artists. We saw how important Durand-Ruel was in Monet's career. However, it wasn't until 1872 that Sisley and Durand-Ruel met and began working together. From 1872 to 1877 Durand-Ruel regularly bought Sisley's artwork and the support was vitally important for the young artist. In his later years, in the late 1880s, Sisley faced financial struggles despite receiving support from Durand-Ruel, and the French government purchased one of his paintings, September Morning, in 1888. However, he did not achieve the same commercial success as some of his impressionist colleagues such as Monet and Renoir. This is putting it mildly in truth because Sisley was in diastrates financially, and this was putting a lot of pressure on him and his personality was such that he struggled to cope, struggled to keep a positive outlook. So although Sisley persisted in his work, he faced growing challenges, and this led to disagreements with his dealer Durand-Ruel over prices in the 1890s. His friend Camille Pizarro noted moments of renewed vigor in Sisley, but he also painted less frequently as he grew older. In 1897 a large retrospective of Sisley's work was organized, but despite the attendance of many of his artist friends, the exhibition was largely ignored by the public and press, and not a single work was sold. This was a desperately disappointing experience for the aging painter. In his final years, Sisley spent a few months in Wales, where he painted his only seascapes. According to one writer, Sisley appeared to be just a shadow of his former self after returning. In 1898, his wife passed away, and Sisley was sadly diagnosed with throat cancer. Sisley approached death in 1899, and he asked his friend Claude Monet to care for his children. Sisley passed away on January 29, 1899, at 59. Now, what can we say about Sisley's art, his vision? It has been said that Alfred Sisley's art, like his life, was a blend of moderation and modesty. His landscapes demonstrated strong skill, especially from the 1870s onwards. They depicted the rural world's changing seasons with various techniques to capture light and weather conditions. Sisley favored no particular picturesque or anecdotal subjects. His work was clear, deliberate, lucid, and strong, but it did not convert and was not accepted by the market like Monet or Renoir's work. Let's compare these two because Sisley has a somewhat tragic ending. Yet, his paintings are not that indistinguishable from those of other impressionists like Monet or Pissarro, especially Pissarro. I think Monet took his work to a higher standard of luminosity, vibrance, and overall skill level and tested the boundaries much further than Sisley. Nevertheless, there is such a huge contrast between the two of them that it's worth comparing a few things, and it may be helpful to us even today. So, the contrast between Sisley and Cord Monet in how they responded to adversity and disappointment is significant. While both experienced family tragedies and struggled to accept their avant-garde style, their approaches diverged in many vital ways—persistence versus resignation. One of the most significant differences is that Monet showed incredible persistence and hustle to coin a modern term. Monet promoted his work and made the right connections. Even after significant setbacks, like the death of his wife, Monet continued painting prolifically and sought opportunities. Monet even painted his wife after she had passed away on her deathbed—you'll know that famous painting of his. So he did not do that obviously out of callousness or anything, but he remained committed and curious as an artist. He could separate himself from his feelings and think like a professional artist. In contrast, Sisley became increasingly resigned and withdrawn, especially in his later years. In the 1890s, he was painting less, and he began feeling disheartened after his 1897 retrospective failed to sell a single work. Well, one can hardly blame him, but you either pick yourself up and try something new or you give up—self-promotion versus modesty. Monet appeared much more adept at self-promotion and finding ways to get his paintings in front of potential buyers and influencers. Sisley, on the other hand, was a moderate and modest person. He didn't assert himself in his marketing. I don't know if he considered himself a professional artist who had to make things happen. Sisley focused on trying to paint, but he painted less and less as he didn't seem to be getting results. He wasn't putting his effort into marketing himself. Whereas we see from Monet's ample correspondence that he left behind, he wrote to many people, pushing people and potential buyers to come and commit to buy his work. While admirable personal qualities such as modesty are fine in society, they can generally hinder an artist's success. Monet had no such reservations about promoting his talent. Let's look at their support systems. Each painter had support systems. Sisley confiding his money troubles to his dealer hints at his reliance on that one relationship. In contrast, Monet has cultivated a more comprehensive network of contacts, supporters, and even fellow artists who could assist his efforts and even assist him when he was in financial trouble. When nearing death, Sisley entrusted Monet with the care of his children, suggesting Monet's relative success and Sisley's acknowledgment that Monet was a successful entrepreneur and businessperson as well as an artist. So, these differences in persistence, promotion, and support system had a major influence on Monet's success, whereas not being present for Sisley had a negative effect. Artists can also learn from this to cultivate some stamina to find support. Support of communities, support of artists, support of friends, promote your talents with confidence, remain humble, don't become arrogant but be confident enough to stand behind your work and put it out there, and never resign yourself to obscurity despite setbacks. Always keep yourself moving forward, and Monet's examples, even in those early days, set an example for us today. We have so many more tools at our disposal, so we need to use them. So, what do you think of Alfred Sisley? It's worth looking up his paintings. There are some beautiful works, and it's sad that he never found the footing or the, you know, the foot in the door. I'm sure that even a modest success would have led to bigger things. Sisley worked on emotion; if he had a few lucky breaks, he might have gotten the impetus to grow in his art and career. But I doubt whether Sisley was that type of person. The loss of his family's support and wealth was a blow from which he couldn't recover. So there it is, the contrast between the two. Similar work, similar styles in some ways, but one kept going and building, persisting. The other resigned himself to not being a great or even, I think that's a bit harsh, resigned himself to not believing in himself sufficiently to make a good living. One doesn't need to aspire to greatness but aspires to make a respectable living. That is certainly something that any artist should look towards and have a right to achieve, but you have to put in that effort and time. There are a few lessons to learn, but that's Alfred Sisley. Look up his work and find out more about this somewhat tragic individual. I hope you found that interesting. It's quite the ending you wanted for Alfred Sisley. Of course, we've wanted his success and a happy ending to his life, but some famous artists of the time went from wealth to poverty or ill health. Life has many things it throws at us. Learn to Paint Like an Impressionist: The Course
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AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa Archives
January 2025
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