The Bridge at Moret, April Morning (work of art)
Artwork Info
Key Ideas about this Work of Art
- This painting depicts a bridge in Moret, France. Artist Alfred Sisley moved to Moret in 1880 and painted many locations throughout the village.
- Sisley was a French impressionist painter. Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that began in Paris. Impressionist artists used quick, loose brushstrokes and bright paint colors to create outdoor scenes. They often depicted different weather conditions, the movement of water, and the effects of sunlight at different times of day.
- Sisley preferred to paint en plein air (outdoors). He is believed to have produced more than 900 oil paintings (mostly landscapes), around 100 pastels, and many drawings during his artistic career.
- The cathedral and the gate with a pointed roof (the two tallest buildings in this landscape) still stand today in Moret.
Learn More
The impressionist painter Alfred Sisley was famous for his sensitivity to light and color. Here we see the clear and vibrant tones of an April morning in the small town of Moret to the southeast of Paris, where Sisley moved in 1880.
Like many of his fellow impressionists, Sisley found great inspiration in the French countryside, creating many variations of this idyllic view of Moret and other sites around the village. The two tallest buildings in this painting are famous medieval structures that still stand in the city today: the cathedral at left and the gate with a pointed roof at right.
Additional Resources
Resources for Teachers
- Explore a web page that features the artist’s biography and images of his work.
- Watch a video about a winter landscape Sisley painted.
- Read an article about impressionism.
Resources for Students
- Visit a web page that includes a short article about the artist and a slideshow of his paintings.
- Read an article about the artist.
- Watch a video about impressionism.
Images
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The Bridge at Moret, April Morning