Alfred Sisley Essay

Starting in the 1860s, the French Impressionism period was sparked by famous artists. Alfred Sisley, an original creator of French Impressionism, debuted with creating landscapes around the Argenteuil area. During the last two productive years of Alfred Sisley’s career, he began to paint paintings of the different environments of moret-sur-loing. Alfred Sisley’s A Turn of the River Loing uses natural colors, the circle of confusion technique, and detailed brushstrokes to create a realistic perspective in his painting. Sisley created the painting on a 54 x 65.4 cm piece of canvas using oil paints. Starting in the right middle of the painting, the river flows through the center of the painting and disappears into the sky. The water reflects the surrounding trees and the sunlight but still has a flowing look to it. On the river, close to the bank, there is a boat. Covering the bottom of the painting is a sandy and grassy bank, and on the bank sits a campsite with a small tent. Next to the tent are several people, but further back on the bank is an old man and a boy walking. Surrounding the river and the bank is a woods filled with dense vegetation. The vegetation has a mix of greens that are dark in the shadows and light in the sun. …show more content…
The natural greens drawn in the trees, along with the shades of brown included in the trunks, give the painting an incredibly life-like quality. Also, the blend of light green and sandy yellow amplifies the illusion of a riverbank. Sisley expertly contrasts the reflection of the sky against the reflection of the woods, therefore, creating the feel of a river in the morning. Along with the expert usage of colors, Sisley incorporates the circle of confusion technique to create a three-dimensional perspective in the