When you think of impressionist painters, Alfred Sisley might not be the first name to come to mind. The creators of a new exhibition at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, think his work has been overlooked.
Sisley was British, but spent most of his life in France, where he methodically painted the landscapes around him. According to curator MaryAnne Stevens, he was as important to painting as more famous impressionists like Claude Monet.
“Alfred Sisley is often pushed to one side in the history of Impressionism. He seemed to be the quiet, perhaps a little bit ploddy, artist in comparison to the fireworks on display that you get with a Monet or a Renoir.”
Stevens says the Bruce exhibition shows that’s not the case. Sisley was a master who found unprecedented artistic beauty in the world around him.
“He records light in the landscape, he records a fleeting moment in time – seasons, changing weather conditions – in order to understand how light gets translated into color.”
The exhibition has dozens of Sisley paintings from his entire life, including some that have never been shown before. Alfred Sisley: Impressionist Master runs through May 21 at the Bruce Museum.
Disclosure: The Bruce Museum is a non-profit sponsor of WSHU Public Radio.
