Alfred Sisley settled in 1882 in Moret-sur-Loing, a pretty medieval town in the Paris region. For 20 years, the artist painted many paintings there
A charming medieval town
It is in this charming little medieval town that the impressionist painter Alfred Sisley lived the last 20 years of his life and painted his environment from every angle! Alfred Sisley settled in 1882 in Moret-sur-Loing, a pretty medieval town in the Paris region. For 20 years, until his death in the most total destitution, the artist painted numerous paintings there, including Le Pont de Moret. We can see in the background the Notre-Dame de Grâce church that Sisley paints in all seasons. His life is difficult because his paintings do not sell well. But he persisted in the painting on the motif advocated by the Impressionists in their early days, while many others would partially return to composition in the studio. Sisley travels around Moret and produces series of works from the various sites selected
He felt in harmony in Moret sur Loing
When Sisley painted Le pont de Moret, he had been living since 1891 at 19 rue Montmartre in Moret-sur-Loing, near the Gothic church of the village which would also be one of his subjects. One of the characteristics of Sisley’s painting is the perfect knowledge of the places represented. He frequented them for a long time, analyzed them a lot. They caused him a particular emotion. The painter’s compositional choices were therefore carefully considered. He felt in harmony with Moret-sur-Loing, as he wrote to the critic and collector Adolphe Tavernier in 1892: Today, Moret-sur-Loing pays tribute to Alfred Sisley, an artist ignored during his lifetime. You can walk through the alleys in his footsteps and discover the reproductions of his paintings at the very place where the painter set up his easel. One hour from Paris, it is pleasant to escape to this small town whose charm has remained intact, on a bike or canoe trip. The Musée d’Orsay in Paris exhibits this painting. A route punctuated by reproductions of the artist’s paintings will take you to the various sites that inspired him. You can see that the charm of this village located one hour from Paris has remained intact.
