Le canal saint martin alfred sisley biography

Sisley did not paint as many city views as other Impressionist painters and was perhaps the one who like the countryside best, for its own sake as well as a subject to paint; but the quiet ripples of the Canal St Martin and the mild cheerfulness of the sky are elements in this picture of which he gave many rural variations.

This landscape depicts a wide stretch of the Canal St Martin near the Bassin de la Villette, in Paris.

Houses and warehouses overlook the canal from both sides, while in the distance, beyond the lock and towards the centre of the city, buildings loom up in the haze. The Canal is bathed in hot sun which, judging by the shadows, is almost at its height.

But a keen breeze is stirring the water and keeping temperatures down, while overhead, clouds are scudding across the blue sky. The relative lack of leaves on the trees and also on the ground, suggests the scene is probably set in the early Spring.

Sisley captures the moment using