September Morning 1887

Alfred Sisley painted 'September Morning', with oil on canvas in France, towards the end of the nineteenth century. Sisley's landscapes evoke the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, and often depict scenes of everyday life. In its time, the Impressionist movement was at the forefront of challenging the conservative French academy. Artists like Sisley sought independence from academic institutions and embraced a more direct, subjective approach to painting. This work captures a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, as if the artist were painting directly from nature. The loose brushwork and soft colors create a hazy atmosphere, conveying the feeling of a crisp autumn morning. Art historians consult exhibition reviews, artists' correspondence, and other primary source documents in order to better understand the conditions that shaped artistic production, and to gain insights into the social and intellectual context in which the work was created. Art, ultimately, is contingent on the social and institutional context of its time.