Banks of the Loing, Autumn 1880

Alfred Sisley captured the Banks of the Loing in Autumn with oil on canvas. The painting is a symphony of texture and light, composed with a dense network of brushstrokes that create a visual field of shimmering color. The structure of the painting is built on a juxtaposition of verticals – the trees – against the horizontal reflection on the river. Sisley uses short, broken strokes of paint to evoke the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere, engaging with the impressionist exploration of perception. The colors are muted, yet rich, with browns, greens, and blues intermingling to suggest the season's transitional palette. The canvas operates as a field of visual sensation, where the materiality of the paint becomes as important as the scene it depicts. Sisley challenges traditional modes of representation. This piece captures a moment in time, a fleeting impression, that invites us to consider the relationships between nature, perception, and representation.