More about The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne

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The clock was ticking for the bridge at Villeneuve-la-garenne in 1872.

By the end of the decade, the authorities were already talking about making way for a newer bridge. When Sisley finished this painting, the bridge was already 30 years old, which isn’t too old if you ask me. It had even survived the siege of Paris, as did Sisley. The English painter fled to London as soon as he got word of the advancing Prussian army. I know how this makes him look. But, he did have a family to protect. Sure, it was illegitimate, but it was still a family. Sisley married his girlfriend and the mother of his children, Eugenie Lesouezec, only in 1897. Thirty years together without a legally binding contract. That, sir, is love.

Several painters of the Impressionist movement joined the National Guard. Manet and Degas enlisted in the National Guard, so did Rodin, who was pulled out for his near-sightedness, and Bazille who fought and died. Monet, Pissarro, and Sisley, were made to abandon their houses and run for London. Paris was burning.When Sisley returned to Paris in 1871, he moved back to Louveciennes, to the west of the city. Sisley continued visiting his friends and making trips to Villeneuve-la-Garenne, a commune in the North central part of Paris. They would paint the bridge, the holiday makers, the Seine, the sunshine. It sounds like a very relaxing Thursday afternoon to me.

The people of Paris were only beginning to recover. This isn’t Paris at its happiest. I don’t expect Sisley to be particularly happy at the time, either. He had just been shoved into poverty, after his father’s business crashed in 1870. But, he was still painting, that makes him happier than most people. Sisley is often criticized for choosing “unspectacular landscapes”. But, that’s all he wanted to paint.

Sisley composed his paintings with an eye on the road, always leading beyond. He explained, “By the elimination of superfluous detail, the spectator should be led along the road that the artist indicates to him, and from the first be made to notice what the artist has felt.” 

You can visit the painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art any afternoon of the week.

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Here is what Wikipedia says about The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne

The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne is an oil on canvas painting by Alfred Sisley created in 1872.

It depicts a suspension bridge across the Seine looking toward the village of Villeneuve-la-Garenne. Holidaymakers can be seen on the river and along the riverbank.

The work is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Check out the full Wikipedia article about The Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne

Comments (4)

Molly S
3 years ago

I like this painting because of the colors used and added details. The people in the boat help add life to the piece. With out them, the piece would seem empty and devoid of life.

Lexi K
3 years ago

I like this painting because it has brighter colors and it is a realistic which I appreciated. Looking at this picture makes me feel calm.

Abby
4 years ago

I enjoy the simplicity of this happy, peaceful scene. The bright blues and whites give the painting a clean, sunny feel, while the bridge casts a cool shadow over the people and boats on the water. The surface of the water reflects the sky and the green of the shore, with small brushstrokes used to create ripples and longer strokes to create calm, smoother water under the shadow of the bridge. The bridge itself leads my eye across the water to the Parisian neighborhood on the other side. This painting was created shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, during which Paris was under siege and eventually fell to the Prussians. In 1872, Sisley had recently returned home to France from London and was met with a devastated city that was only just beginning to recover from war. Despite all of this, Sisley chose to paint a simple, idyllic scene of his beloved city in happy times. The power of the artist to soothe and transport is displayed in this image that gives me a sense of calm and peace in the midst of a time period that was lacking both.

TimmyTom
4 years ago

This piece of artwork is wonderful!! One of my favorite parts of the piece is the texture that is throughout. It really makes the water seem like it was windy and moving. I like that the bridge goes back and occupies that much space. I think the artist did a great job creating that space while still making it look compact. I like that during this time this was an image of a new bridge. I think it brings a lot of character to what this time period may have looked like.