Evening in Moret, End of October 1888

Curator: Look at this scene! Alfred Sisley's "Evening in Moret, End of October", completed in 1888, a classic of impressionist landscape painting. It resides here at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The painting is done in oil. Editor: Hmm, October...the air already has that bite, doesn't it? A grey-tinged blue seems to dominate and sets such a quiet, melancholic mood. Curator: You’re right. Notice how Sisley captured that transition through plein-air. It was painted on site and depicts Moret-sur-Loing, south of Paris. A town popular among impressionists for its beautiful scenery. Editor: You can feel the fleeting light on the water! It makes the water and sky seem to swap places. It is like looking into a mirror reflecting only memories. Curator: The subdued colors definitely play a part. Sisley uses subtle variations to portray the late-autumn light and atmosphere of the countryside town, a stark reflection of how the industrial revolution affected the landscape. Editor: Do you feel a touch of sadness? Because I sure do. This is before the time of light pollution, you know? Can you imagine how many stars they would have seen? Now we only see a faded sky. Curator: What's particularly interesting is how Sisley was influenced by Japanese prints, especially in composition and treatment of space. He reduced objects to simplified forms. The flat picture plane brings that out. Editor: I see those long brushstrokes forming the sky. It is almost like calligraphy! A whisper of a poem across the horizon. I bet the townspeople didn't consider their normal view as artistic. Curator: Possibly not. The Impressionists were really challenging accepted aesthetic ideals at the time by valorizing everyday life over idealized representations. And it would not be surprising if, to Sisley, "Evening in Moret, End of October" symbolized a search for fleeting beauty. Editor: In a time when everyone seems obsessed with the next best thing. What could be so horrible about slowing down? Thank you Sisley. Curator: A timeless meditation of an oft-forgotten village indeed!