June Morning in Saint-Mammès

June Morning in Saint-Mammès was completed by British painter Alfred Sisley.

This French-based artist focused on landscape art across his career, and worked in the Impressionist manner. His choice of content was similar to that of Claude Monet, but with a more subtle use of tone. June Morning in Saint-Mammès provides a good example of that, and also illustrates how Sisley would sometimes come up with innovative compositions.

Use of Perspective

In the case of this work, Sisley handles perspective expertly. Everything heads towards an imaginary vanishing point, with the row of trees initially taking our attention. Banks on either side of the river, including some houses, all follow in the same direction, bring depth to the piece.

Description

The artist is careful to allow as much light to show through as possible, adding leaves individually to the trees along the left hand side. He also purposely covers this type of tree, with slim trunks that also allow plenty of space along the riverfront. In other examples he might prefer a more naturally grown area, with trees intertwined into a more dense environment.

The buildings along the right hand side are only shown briefly, to bring in perspective from both sides, but not to distract us from the rest of the scene. Likewise, a few figures walk up and down the street, but not in a manner to distract our initial gaze.

Shading falls across most of the road in front of us, with the top architectural flourishes repeated in its outline. Sisley avoids covering the work in too dark a tone, and this enables elements of the road to still show through, even where shading is applied.

To the left hand side we find a small boat making its way down the river, with perhaps two figures standing. This projects a slow moving, relaxed atmosphere within the painting, and the positive mood is increased with the bright light applied to that part of the composition.

Location

The river running past on the left is believed to be the Seine, a river which has inspired many artists in France for centuries. The artist is set within a small village, where the Seine meets up with the Loing river. This is situated fairly close to Paris and the artist spent time here in the 1880s. One can see from this painting as to how the environment perfectly suited his style, as well as the type of atmosphere which appeared in many of his rural artworks.

Conclusion

June Morning in Saint-Mammès captures many of the essences of the Impressionist movement. We have the skilled and observant use of light, the combination of nature with elements of everyday life. There is also relaxed brushwork which suggests at an impression, rather than providing photo-realistic detail. There is also a focus on French life, which is where the Impressionist movement started, and where it continues to be best known.

Location and Painting Details

Alfred Sisley's June Morning in Saint-Mammès can now be found at the Artizon Museum in Tokyo, Japan. Impressionist art has proven popular in the country, and there are a number of Impressionists featured within the permanent collections of major Japanese art museums and galleries. It must be remembered that Japanese art had influenced many of them initially, and so the connection should come as no surprise.

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