Alfred Sisley

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, November 24, 1903
Balsan Collection, Paris
Acquired by the father of the present owner in the 1950s

Very good condition. Canvas is lined. Surface appears very fresh with a rich impasto. Under UV light, there is a very faint stretcher bar mark along the right edge. Under UV light, about 5 small spots of inpainting near upper center in clouds. One spot near lower right corner and a few other tiny spots elsewhere but these are very minor.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Fig. 1, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Une route à Louvecienne, 1870, oil on canvas, Lesley & Emma Sheafer Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This painting most likely depicts the "route de Versailles" near Marly-le-Roi, a village to the southwest of Paris where the artist lived during the winter of 1874-1875. During his time there, Sisley painted numerous scenes of the village, focusing on its winding streets and tree-lined roads. He often went on long walks to the neighboring Villeneuve-la-Garenne, Argenteuil and Ile de la Grande-Jatte, exploring the region in search for new subjects. This setting provided the artist with a new creative impetus and, once settled, he started working with new found energy. He explored the beauty of the Seine valley, and took delight in painting this new environment.

The artist himself explained: ''You see that I am an advocate of a diversity of treatment in the same picture. This is certainly not a generally held opinion, but I think I am right, especially when it is a question of rendering the effect of light. For although sunlight softens some parts of the landscape, it highlights others, and these light effects which express themselves almost physically in nature should be rendered physically on the canvas. Objects should be painted with their own texture, moreover - and above all - they should be bathed in light just as they are in nature. That's what has to be achieved. The sky must be the means of doing so (the sky cannot be a mere background). On the contrary, it not only helps to add depth through its planes (for the sky has planes just as the ground does), it also gives movement through its shape, and by its arrangement in relation to the effect or composition of the picture'' (quoted in Richard Shone, Sisley, London, 1992, pp. 219-220).