Saint-Mammès, Le Matin 1881

Alfred Sisley, a British artist working in France, likely made this oil on canvas painting, Saint-Mammès, Le Matin, en plein air. The Impressionists turned away from the French academy's dictate that paintings should have a clear narrative, moral, or historical message. Instead, they looked to capture everyday life and the fleeting effects of light. Here, the small town of Saint-Mammès is shown at dawn, with short brushstrokes describing the reflections in the water. Sisley depicts a town that has been touched by industrialization. The two chimneys in the background testify to the encroaching power of the factory in French life. Historians of Impressionism often consult not only the artwork itself but the writings of contemporary art critics, social commentators, and the artists themselves, along with exhibition reviews and sales records, to gain a broader picture of the art world in nineteenth-century France. These sources reveal the Impressionists' attempt to break free from the artistic establishment, to challenge existing social norms by depicting the world around them.