Alfred Sisley

Galerie Knoedler, Paris

Durand-Ruel,  New York (acquired from the above on March 15, 1892)

Cyrus J. Lawrence, New York (acquired from the above April 2, 1892 and sold: New York, January 21-22, 1910, lot 68)

A. Morten, New York (acquired at the above sale)

Private Collection, New York

François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Lausanne, 1959, no. 741, illustrated

Very good condition. The canvas is lined. Under ultra-violet light, there is a diagonal retouching in the upper right, but otherwise the canvas is untouched. The paint layer is fresh and stable, and the work is in very good condition overall.
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.

A hauntingly beautiful view of Moret near the Loing river is the subject of Sisley's oil from 1890.  In the Durand-Ruel archives, the present work is titled, Moret-sur-Loing, mois de Mars, indicating that this is a scene of the countyside in early spring, just before the first bloom.  Sisley settled permanently in Moret-sur-Loing in 1889, and he committed himself over the next several years to investigating the rich topography of the land as it changed from season to season.

Although Sisley is regarded as one of the best landscape painters among the Impressionists, the artist spoke often about his indebtedness to the Barbizon School of painters and their rejection of the academic tradition.   Like the Impressionists, the Barbizon artists depicted the natural world with an approach that was more true to life, devoid of any historical narrative.  When posed the question about his favorite artists in 1892, Sisley did not hesitate to name his Barbizon precedessors and their faithful approach to rendering the natural world: "What artists do I love? To take just the contemporaries: Delacroix, Corot, Millet, Tousseau, Corbet, our masters.  All who have loved Nature and felt strongly"  (quoted in MaryAnne Stevens, Alfred Sisley (exhibition catalogue), The Royal Academy of Arts, London,  1992, p. 212).