plate no. 8988
Houses on the banks of the Loing
Alfred Sisley, 1889
recreation guide
Alfred Sisley’s *Houses on the banks of the Loing* (1889) is a quintessential example of his dedication to painting landscape *en plein air*, a practice he maintained more consistently than many of his Impressionist peers (Source 4). By 1889, Sisley had settled in Moret-sur-Loing, where he focused on the gentle, atmospheric landscapes of the region, avoiding the dramatic contrasts favored by Monet in favor of tranquility and subtle tonal shifts (Source 5). The work likely exhibits the increased power of expression and color intensity that characterized his later years, moving away from the pale shades of his earlier Parisian works toward a more robust handling of light and atmosphere (Source 4). As an Impressionist, Sisley would have been deeply influenced by the scientific theories of color contrast, particularly the use of complementary colors to enhance brilliance and harmony, a technique studied by all major Impressionists including Monet and Renoir (Source 3).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (including drying time for glazes)
materials
4 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion/Red Ochre) | Primary palette for underpainting and glazing | High-quality tube oils; Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red or Vermilion |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil/linseed oil) | Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited by Reynolds in the context of old master techniques relevant to glazing | Stand oil or refined linseed oil |
| Canvas | Support for the oil painting | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparent coats | Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish |
preparation
surface prep
While specific priming instructions for Sisley are not detailed in the sources, the general practice of the period and the cited technique of glazing over a monochrome ground implies a stable, non-absorbent surface. The canvas should be prepared to accept oil glazes without sinking. Given the reference to Reynolds’ method using oil of copavia, the ground should be smooth enough to allow for transparent layers (Source 1).
underdrawing
Sisley painted *en plein air* to capture transient effects of sunlight, suggesting a direct approach with minimal preliminary drawing on the canvas itself. Any compositional planning likely occurred in the mind or via small sketches, but the final work would be built up directly with paint to capture the 'prompt and sure' imitation of light modifications (Source 4, Source 2).
underpainting
The sources suggest a method involving a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) from which red and yellow tones are mentally extracted, leaving the blue/grey structure. This aligns with the cited technique of painting the first layers with black, ultramarine, and white to establish the tonal structure before adding color (Source 1). This underpainting serves as the 'darker ground' or structural base for subsequent glazing.
color palette
Ultramarine Blue
Pure pigment
Establishing the cool tones of the sky and water; part of the initial monochrome underpainting (Source 1, Source 3)
White
Pure pigment
Highlighting and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille underpainting (Source 1)
Black
Pure pigment
Establishing shadows and depth in the initial underpainting (Source 1)
Yellow/Orange tones
Yellow ochre, vermilion, or mixed yellow/red
Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and light; complementary to the blue underpainting to create brilliance (Source 1, Source 3)
Red tones
Vermilion or red ochre
Glazing to add warmth and contrast against blue/grey areas, enhancing color intensity through simultaneous contrast (Source 1, Source 3)
composition
Sisley’s landscapes are characterized by tranquility and a focus on the atmospheric effects of the Loing river and its banks. The composition likely emphasizes the horizontal flow of the water and the gentle integration of houses into the landscape, avoiding dramatic contrasts. The artist’s goal was to harmonize colors inherent to the nature of the objects, using the law of simultaneous contrast to ensure that adjacent colors enhance each other’s brilliance (Source 4, Source 5, Source 2).
step by step
underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underpainting
step 01
Create a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white. Mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing on the structural tones that would remain if those warm colors were absent.
Tip — Ensure this layer is quite dry before proceeding. This establishes the tonal foundation.
Grisaille underpainting
first pass
step 02
Apply the first painting with oil of copavia (or stand oil) as a medium, continuing to refine the tonal structure with black, ultramarine, and white if necessary.
Tip — Follow the method described by Sir Joshua Reynolds for the first and second paintings.
Oil medium application
refining
step 03
Glaze and scumble with oil (and later varnish mixed with oil) to introduce yellow and red tones. Apply these transparent or semi-opaque layers over the dried underpainting, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat; scumbling is semi-opaque. Use scumbling over darker grounds to create a 'grey bloom' or coldness if needed for atmospheric effect.
Glazing and Scumbling
step 04
Utilize the law of simultaneous contrast. Place orange/yellow tones next to blue/ultramarine areas to make both colors appear brighter and more intense. Adjust tones based on how contiguous colors affect each other.
Tip — Be aware that the eye may perceive colors inaccurately due to mixed contrast; constantly check against the natural model to ensure accuracy.
Simultaneous Contrast
finishing
step 05
Harmonize the composition by ensuring that the colors inherent to the landscape (sky, water, foliage) are balanced. Use broken colors and neutral tones to harmonize the extremes of color intensity.
Tip — Avoid 'brutality of extremes' by using neutralizing touches, consistent with Impressionist practices.
Color Harmony
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Used to build up color transparency and texture. Glazing adds transparent color layers, while scumbling adds semi-opaque layers that allow the underpainting to show through, creating complex tonal effects like 'grey blooms'.
Simultaneous Contrast
Placing complementary colors (e.g., orange and blue) next to each other to enhance their brilliance and intensity. This is a core Impressionist technique derived from color theory.
Plein Air Painting
Painting outdoors to capture the transient effects of sunlight and atmosphere directly, rather than in the studio. This requires prompt and sure imitation of light modifications.
common pitfalls
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddiness or cracking.
- →Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, resulting in flat or dull colors instead of vibrant, interacting hues.
- →Overworking the paint in the studio rather than capturing the immediate impression of light, which contradicts the Impressionist goal of capturing transient effects.
- →Failing to account for mixed contrast, where the eye’s tendency to see complementary colors after staring at one can distort color perception.
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific brushstroke patterns or impasto techniques unique to Sisley’s 1889 style are not detailed in the sources.
- ·Exact proportions of pigments for specific hues in this painting are not provided.
- ·The specific layout of the houses and river in *Houses on the banks of the Loing* is not described in the text, so compositional details must be inferred from general Impressionist landscape conventions.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color theory, simultaneous contrast, and perception of light
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- part 4 — applied to Use of orange/blue complements in Impressionism
Wikipedia bio — Alfred Sisley↗
- part 1 & 2 — applied to Artist’s practice, plein air dedication, and stylistic evolution
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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