Arts
| NORTH YORKSHIRE |  | | | CLEVELAND | | | COUNTY DURHAM | | |
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Artist who had ‘the soul and brush of a poet'
THE work of Alfred Sisley
goes on show at the Bowes
Museum next weekend in
the first major exhibition
devoted to this leading Impressionist
to take place outside London
in half a century.
Alfred Sisley: Impressionist Landscapes
comprises paintings by
this acclaimed member of the Impressionist
group, who was described
by his contemporary Eugene
Murer as having "the soul
and brush of a poet". It spans the
years from the first Impressionist
exhibition in 1874 until his death
from throat cancer in 1899.
Born in Paris to English parents,
Sisley's talents were appreciated
by his lifelong friends Monet and
Renoir, with whom he studied,
and his art is now appreciated
worldwide.
This exhibition, which includes
loans from private collections and
museums, explores Sisley's captivation
with the landscape of the
Parisian suburbs of Louveciennes
and Port-Marly and the towns
along the River Loing. Port-Marly
provided Sisley with the inspiration
for some of his most famous
and celebrated images. This body
of work will be explored with the
inclusion of Port-Marly under
Snow, from a private collection,
on long-term loan to the Bowes.
"Sisley very rarely painted anything
other than landscapes, and
would paint the same view at different
times of year," said Emma
House, assistant keeper of fine art.
"He delighted in exploring the effects
of weather conditions on the
landscape. His eloquent brushwork
and subtle range of colours
and tonal nuances captured the
ever changing seasons.
"Sisley's reputation as a leading
member of the Impressionist
group has been hard-fought. Neglected
during his lifetime, he fell
into relative obscurity when he
died. He was of British parentage
and never managed to become a
French citizen, which is why he
might possibly have been neglected.
He retained his British nationality
even though he spent so little
time here.
"This exhibition is a retrospective
to show the development of Sisley's
style," she added. "As he got
older his brushwork became
much looser, and his use of colour
more vibrant."
The exhibition opens on Saturday,
May 17, and runs until Sunday,
September 21.
2:25pm Friday 9th May 2008
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