Le barrage à Saint-Mammès, canal du Loing

The barrage and lock on the canal du Loing at Saint-Mammes was a subject Sisley returned to repeatedly throughout the 1880s, fascinated by the controlled movement of water over the weir structure and the play of light on the churning water below. Water management infrastructure — locks, weirs, barrages — was practically important on the Loing canal, which connected the Fontainebleau region's quarries and forests to the Paris markets via barge traffic. This 1885 version shows the barrage in full operation, the river animated by the controlled fall of water in the middle distance.

Sisley renders the weir's turbulent water in quick, directional strokes of white and blue-grey that convey movement and foam. The calmer water above and below the weir is painted in smoother, more horizontal passages. The lock-keeper's cottage or industrial buildings provide a quiet architectural backdrop. The sky is animated in his characteristic manner.