Les bords de la Seine en Eté

Les bords de la Seine en Eté (The Banks of the Seine in Summer) of 1877 places Sisley beside France's greatest river during a summer when his financial situation was particularly difficult — 1877 was a year of personal hardship that contrasted with the artistic confidence his paintings show. The Seine near Marly and Louveciennes, where he lived at various points, offered him subject matter similar in character to the Loing and Moret subjects of his later career: broad river, sky reflections, tree-lined banks. This work preceded his move to the Loing valley and represents the Seine-centred phase of his Impressionist practice.

The summer Seine is painted with Sisley's mature Impressionist technique: varied directional brushwork across the water surface, the colour of sky and foliage reflected and modified by the river's movement. The palette is warm and full-keyed — the summer greens, blues, and warm whites that characterise his best 1870s work. The composition is horizontally organised, the river as the dominant structural element.