The Bridge at Moret, April Morning

Alfred Sisley was an impressionist landscape painter known for his sensitivity to light and color. Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that began in Paris. Impressionist paintings depict outdoor scenes made up of quick, loose brushstrokes and bright paint colors. These types of paintings often show different weather conditions, the movement of water, or the effects of sunlight at different times of day.

In this painting of a bridge in Moret (a small town near Paris) Sisley captured the vibrant tones of a spring morning. He moved to Moret with his family in 1880. Like many impressionist painters, Sisley found inspiration for his work in the French countryside. He painted different views of this bridge and other nearby locations. The cathedral and the gate with a pointed roof are famous medieval structures that still stand today.

Sisley preferred to paint en plein air (outdoors). He produced more than 900 oil paintings, around 100 pastels, and many drawings throughout his art career.