Bords du Loing (1892) - Alfred Sisley
Sisley depicts the boatyard at Matrat, downstream from the town of Moret, its focal point being the small house seen across the river. This part of the Loing landscape served as Sisley’s subject in a number of oils. Whilst in most other paintings of the boatyard Sisley depicted workers going about their daily activities, often with the characteristic architecture of Moret with its church and arched bridge visible in the background, in the present work the artist focused on the serenity of nature. Although the boatyard was only a short distance from the town, its busy everyday life is not discernible in this composition.