Sisley, << SIHS lee or sees LAY, >> Alfred (1839-1899), was an Impressionist artist best known for his landscape paintings. Sisley captured a variety of effects in his landscapes, ranging from full sunlight to gloomy mist. His best pictures are delicately painted and reveal a more spacious, airy feeling than those of his fellow Impressionists. Sisley particularly excelled in portraying snow scenes.
Sisley was born on Oct. 30, 1839, in Paris of English parents. In the early 1860’s, he studied in the Paris studio of the Swiss artist Charles Gleyre. There, he met the future Impressionists Jean Frederic Bazille, Claude Monet, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. Sisley’s early pictures emphasized dark browns and greens. By 1870, he was using lighter colors and painting more spontaneously. He did his most successful work in the 1870’s. He died on Jan. 29, 1899.
