The Road from Mantes to Choisy le Roi 1872

Alfred Sisley painted ‘The Road from Mantes to Choisy le Roi’ using oil on canvas, a material most associated with the fine arts. Sisley's choice of oil paint allowed him to work outdoors, capturing the subtle nuances of light and atmosphere. Notice the loose brushstrokes and the way he layered the paint to create a sense of depth and texture. This process was part of a shift to capture scenes of everyday life. The scene, with its figures and horse-drawn cart, hint at the labour and social hierarchies of rural life, and Sisley uses the materiality of paint and his artistic skill to draw our attention to these often overlooked aspects of society. Ultimately, understanding Sisley's work involves recognizing how the materials, techniques, and context of Impressionism came together to offer a new way of seeing and representing the world.