Alfred Sisley

This is the 21st post in our Author of the Week series.



Alfred Sisley was born in 1839 in France, but his family was English. He was sent back to England when he turned 18 in order to study business but he left after four years and returned to France. In 1862 he began studying with a Swiss artist Marc-Charles-Gabriel Gleyre. The two were known for painting outdoors instead of in the studio and this led to much more colorful and broad pictures than people were used to.

The painter survived through an allowance from his father but the Franco-Prussian War caused his father's business to fail, so it 1870 his sole means of income were through the sale of his paintings. This led to him living in poverty for the rest of his life. Though eventually he did gain support from some of his patrons. This is what led to him being able to travel to London and paint scenes there.

He continued to travel but he traveled to Wales in 1897 where he married his partner. When he tried to return to France his citizenship was denied. When he tried to reapply illness prevented him from traveling. He died in 1899 just a few months after the death of his wife.

To learn more about WebMuseum.