Windy Afternoon in May 1880

Curator: Alfred Sisley’s "Windy Afternoon in May," painted in 1880, offers a glimpse into the French countryside through the lens of Impressionism. Using oil on canvas, Sisley captures a vibrant, almost breezy scene. Editor: Ah, the first impression is pure escapism! It’s like stumbling upon a secret spot in the countryside, perfect for a daydream. The colors feel almost…delicious. Curator: The work sits firmly within the Impressionist movement. It challenges academic traditions by focusing on light and fleeting moments. Sisley, though often overshadowed by Monet and Renoir, played a crucial role in depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people amidst nature. Note, particularly, the implied labour— the implied presence of figures that inhabit this world and their relationship to the land. Editor: Absolutely! The way Sisley captures the wind rustling through the leaves gives it that feeling, that sense of being alive in the moment, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it, about those folks down by the path? What are they up to? Are they just enjoying the wind too? Curator: Precisely, and it’s key to view such representations critically, noting that, in that epoch, labour wasn’t gender-neutral: often portraying rural womanhood—as many Impressionists did—through romanticism is actually an exercise of subtle subjugation of working class females, through constant aestheticization. It becomes an ideological vehicle—especially if juxtaposed to academic work done almost entirely by men—in the discussion of class, gender and societal control. Editor: That’s such a good point, that undercurrent. Still, the freedom! The breezy brushstrokes, that dance of light… I can almost feel the warmth of the sun. And is that water in the background? It seems that the eye is more drawn into it! Curator: Sisley, like his contemporaries, was influenced by Japonism and the shift in power structures throughout late 19th-century France. By choosing landscapes over historical paintings, he indirectly challenges the status quo, promoting the simple beauty of modern life through these paintings. Editor: Looking at it now, it really pulls me into that place, to feel that wind on my face. Thanks for pointing out its complexity – it definitely gives this landscape a fresh perspective. Curator: And with an awareness of the subtle ways class and gender get played out on the canvas, hopefully you now see a new layer to the beauty on view.