Artwork
Watering Place at Marly
Watering Place at Marly is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Alfred Sisley. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Check out the same artist’s *Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne* at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Alfred Sisley painted a quiet pond in 1875. A single horse drinks by the water. Trees frame the far bank, their leaves just starting to green.
Sisley lived right next to this spot. He often painted here. The old royal gardens were gone, but the pool stayed. It shows how nature slowly takes back what people build.
Check out the same artist’s *Bridge at Villeneuve-la-Garenne* at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Overview
Watering Place at Marly is an oil on canvas painting created by Alfred Sisley in 1875, capturing a serene scene in the village of Marly-le-Roi.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a tranquil pond, known as a 'watering place,' where a single horse is drinking. The scene is framed by trees on the far bank, with leaves beginning to green, symbolizing the reclamation of nature over a formerly royal garden.
History & Provenance
Sisley lived adjacent to the depicted pool on rue de l’Abreuvoir and frequently painted in the area, which was once part of King Louis XIV's park.
Technique & Style
The work exemplifies Sisley's consistent focus on landscape subjects and his contribution to the Impressionist movement, characteristic of artists working along the Seine River.
Context
The painting reflects the transformation of a royal retreat into a natural landscape, as the original water gardens had largely disappeared by the time Sisley painted the scene.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfred Sisley (; French: ; 30 October 1839–29 January 1899) was a French-Born British Impressionist landscape painter who was born to British parents, but spent most of his life in France.
