Sisley, Alfred [key], 1839–99, French impressionist landscape painter, b. Paris, of English parents. He studied under Corot, Charles Gleyre, and Courbet and was (1873) a founding member of the Impressionist group. After 1871, Sisley lived modestly at Moret-sur-Loing and painted subtly shimmering small-town landscapes that reveal a wistful, lyrical sensibility. Influenced by his friends Renoir and Monet in his selection of colors, Sisley was less daring than Monet in his use of the “rainbow palette” and closer to the Barbizon School tradition. He is well represented in many museums, e.g., the Art Institute of Chicago, which owns Street in Moret and Sand Heaps.
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