Alfred Sisley

1839-1899

Alfred Sisley was born in Paris in 1839 to British parents and became a painter devoted entirely to landscape. After studying in London and then under Marc-Charles-Gabriel Gleyre in Paris, where he met Monet and Renoir, he embraced painting outdoors to capture shifting light and atmosphere. Unlike many Impressionists who later abandoned their methods, Sisley remained faithful to plein-air painting throughout his life, producing nearly 900 works of quiet scenes along the Seine and Loing rivers. Financial hardship following the Franco-Prussian War and his family's business collapse meant he struggled to sell his paintings and lived modestly for decades. His most celebrated series include the Thames at Hampton Court and the Gothic church at Moret-sur-Loing, where he settled in his final years. He died in 1899, recognized only after his death as perhaps the truest embodiment of Impressionist principles.