Bronze Age Gold from Wales

This painting of 1892 shows a view of the Rue des Fosses in Moret-sur-Loing, a tranquil medieval town about 50 miles south-east of Paris. Sisley first visited the area in 1879, and fell in love with the place. In 1892 he wrote ‘at Moret my art has undoubtedly developed the most… I will never really leave this little place that is so picturesque.’ It was the main inspiration for his paintings in the final years of his life.

In this street scene, Sisley plays with our sense of perspective; his low viewpoint, taken from the enclosed space of a schoolyard, looks through the open gates to the streets beyond. The colours recreate the long shadows and rose-tinted light of a bright autumnal morning. Sisley liked to convey a sense of activity in his work, and here a woman with a child approach for the start of the school day, but their presence is eclipsed by the tall trees and buildings that dominate the scene.

Work was part of the AFA tour (2009-2010): From Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales