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Flood at Moret (Inondation à Moret)

Alfred Sisley

European Art

In the 1870s, the Seine and its tributaries, including the Loing, were flooded several times as a consequence of increased human impact on the environment, particularly as a result of agricultural deforestation. Drawn to the changing conditions of nature, Alfred Sisley painted the boatyard buildings and partly submerged trees on the banks of the Loing, choosing to depict a moment of calm in the flood’s aftermath. To capture the ephemeral conditions, he used sketchy, energetic brushstrokes, even leaving patches of canvas bare around the wispy, windswept trees.
MEDIUM Oil on canvas
  • Place Made: France
  • DATES 1879
    DIMENSIONS 21 1/4 x 28 1/4 in. (54 x 71.8cm) Frame: 30 1/4 x 37 1/4 x 2 1/2 in. (76.8 x 94.6 x 6.4 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Signed lower right: "Sisley."
    COLLECTIONS European Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 21.54
    CREDIT LINE Bequest of A. Augustus Healy
    PROVENANCE Prior to 1920, provenance not yet documented; before 1920, sold at Durand-Ruel; before 1920, acquired by Joseph F. Flanagan of Boston, MA; January 14, 1920, purchased at American Art Association, New York, NY, “Old and Modern Paintings of Sterling Artistic Distinction”, no. 55, by Aaron Augustus Healy of Brooklyn, NY; 1921, bequeathed by Aaron Augustus Healy to the Brooklyn Museum.
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    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Alfred Sisley (British, active France, 1839–1899). Flood at Moret (Inondation à Moret), 1879. Oil on canvas, 21 1/4 x 28 1/4 in. (54 x 71.8cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of A. Augustus Healy, 21.54 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 21.54_PS11.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 21.54_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2022
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