Geese 1897

Alfred Sisley's painting, Geese, is made with oil on canvas, but the exact date is unknown. Here we see the domestic sphere brought to the foreground of an impressionist landscape. Geese such as these, would have been a common feature of French agricultural life. The loose brushstrokes give an impression of rural France. The scene evokes the slower pace of life in the countryside, far from the bustle of Paris. The geese themselves seem unconcerned with the world around them. The late 19th Century saw rapid development, but artists like Sisley chose rural subjects as an escape from the modern world. They looked to nature for a simpler, more authentic way of life. To better understand this work, we can look at the art criticism of the time and at historical records of French agriculture. Art is always shaped by the cultural context in which it is made.