Vieille Chaumière Aux Sablons 1885

Alfred Sisley made this oil painting of an old thatched cottage in Sablons, France. It’s a picture of rural life but it also speaks to the changing face of France in the late 19th century. Sisley was part of the Impressionist movement that was fascinated by how light and atmosphere could be captured on canvas. But beyond this, he was also deeply interested in the social changes happening around him. The late 1800s was a time of rapid industrialization in France. As cities grew, many rural areas were left behind and Sisley’s paintings of the French countryside often reflect on what was being lost in the name of progress. When we look at his cottage scene, the painting invites questions about the people who lived in these rural communities. To further our understanding of the painting, we might research how economic shifts and government policies impacted rural people. Sisley’s paintings remind us that art is always intertwined with the social conditions of its time.