View of the Canal Saint-Martin

The story

“View of the Canal Saint-Martin” was painted in 1870. The Canal Saint-Martin runs through the eastern part of Paris. Alfred Sisley showed this painting at the Salon that same year.

In “View of the Canal Saint-Martin” the water fills the whole lower half. The houses, the trees and the clouds are reflected in it. Above is the bright sky with white clouds. Small figures of people stand on the bank.

Alfred Sisley paints not the city, but the light above the water. He lets the sky take up half the canvas. Here we already see the painter who would later paint rivers all his life.

That same year the war began, and Sisley's family lost its money. Soon he would be painting the small towns along the Seine, like Villeneuve-la-Garenne.

Later the painting was bought by Dr Paul Gachet for 170 francs. In 1951 his son gave it to the state. Today “View of the Canal Saint-Martin” is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.