Le Chemin de Montbuisson à Louveciennes

Alfred Sisley
Le Chemin de Montbuisson à Louveciennes
1875
huile sur toile
H. 46 ; L. 61 cm avec cadre H. 67 ; L. 88 ; P. 11 cm
© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée de l'Orangerie) / Thierry Le Mage
Alfred Sisley (1839 - 1899)

This painting dated 1875 presents a panoramic view of a landscape to the west of Paris. According to research by L.M. Boring, the background of this work is very close to that of La courbe de la Seine à Saint Cloud [The Bend in the Seine at Saint Cloud]. Both were probably painted on the hill at Le Pecq. It is in fact the road to Marly at Le Pecq with the Chemin de la Bègue and the Chemin des Vignes Benette on the left. In the distance the hill and terrace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye are outlined on the left, with the hills of Cormeilles in the distance on the right. In the middle distance, we can make out the bend in the Seine and the road bridge and railway bridge that cross it.
Sisley was fond of depicting roads and paths which in his view invited the spectator to come into the painting: "the spectator should be led along the road that the painter indicates to him, and from the first be made to notice what the artist himself has felt.  Every picture shows a spot with which the artist himself has fallen in love."
In this composition, ample space is accorded to the sky, which assumed great importance in Sisley’s eyes. He was fascinated by the shapes and movements of the clouds, and admitted to always starting a painting with the sky.

Artwork not currently exhibited in the museum
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