Alfred Sisley, 'The Small Meadows in Spring', about 1880-1

This painting seems to radiate light. The flecks of blue, green and yellow are made with short, deft brushstrokes. They shimmer in and out of focus as our eye is drawn down the winding track, distracted by the reflections on the river or fascinated by the girl wearing a blue dress with flowers in her bonnet. A few shadows form sooty smudges and some winter-black branches create cracks in the colour. The violet shading on the tree trunks adds to the sense of vibrancy. This is enhanced further by tiny bright patches of white, where the sun catches the bonnet of the peasant woman, the blossom on the bushes, the buildings on the far bank or the girl’s collar. She is not quite prominent enough to be the focus of the composition, yet she is sufficiently close for us to wonder what holds her attention.

From the beginnings of the movement in the 1860s and 70s, Alfred Sisley had been one of the leading Impressionist painters who preferred to work outdoors. They painted rapidly so as to capture the fleeting sunshine and light effects. He had often painted by the River Seine before, but the landscape depicted here was new to Sisley. For the previous three years he had been living further downstream at Sèvres on the south-western outskirts of Paris, with his partner, Eugénie Lescouezec, and their two children. The girl in the painting is often thought to be the artist’s daughter, Jeanne, who was then aged about 12.

In 1880, suffering financial difficulties after the failure of the family silk business, Sisley and his family moved to the village of Veneux-Nadon, sandwiched between the Seine and the forest of Fontainebleau about 90 kilometres south-east of Paris. The artist gained a new sense of optimism about his work after this time, as reflected in the energy of this painting. Traditionally, it has been dated to 1880. However, although he signed the canvas, Sisley did not inscribe a date. It is possible, therefore, that it may have been made the following spring. In 1882 the family settled permanently in nearby Moret-sur-Loing.

This viewpoint is from le Chemin des Petits Prés – the path through the small meadows – which followed the left bank of the Seine between the villages of Veneux and By. On the far bank is Champagne-sur-Seine. Sisley made a number of paintings on or near this place, such as The Path to the Old Ferry at By (Tate, London), which looks directly across the river.

Shortly after these paintings were made, Champagne was transformed by the large Schneider factory, which made electrical goods, together with estates to house its workers. It was considered a progressive and model development for its time. Sisley, who was more interested in rural life, never painted there again.