Alfred Sisley

Born in Paris to British parents on 30 October 1839, Sisley was destined for commerce until something pulled him toward paint. He became the steadiest apostle of plein air landscape, refusing the figure work and stylistic pivots that tempted Renoir and Pissarro. In 1874 he worked a series along the Thames near Hampton Court; later he returned obsessively to Moret-sur-Loing and the Seine's bridges in pale green, pink, purple, dusty blue, cream — tranquil planes that grew sharper and more intense as the years passed. He died 29 January 1899, having found in Impressionism everything he needed and…