Moret-sur-Loing, le pont et l'glise

'A very paltry little town' was how Tobias Smollett described Moret-sur-Loing in a letter from France in 1763, although he admitted that it did provide him with adequate accomodation. In the century that followed Moret began to attract visitors and became increasingly popular with tourists. The town provided its visitors with some stunning views over the Loing and an impressive Gothic church. Add to that the various picturesque mills that were grouped around the bridge (some of which were destroyed a few years after the present work in 1944), "the tree-lined walks along the river, the continuous sound of water from the weir and the great wheels of the mills, the houseboats and fishermen, and there was, as every guidebook exclaimed, 'a captivating picture', a sight 'worthy of the brush'" (R. Shone, Sisley, London, 1992, p. 159).

Moret-sur-Loing's reputation grew enormously at the end of the 19th Century and the town became almost as popular a destination for artists, writers and musicians as Dieppe or Pont-Aven. The Eglise de Notre-Dame in particular provided these visitors with their creative inspiration, dominating as it did so much of the town and river and providing the focus for every composition.

Didier Imbert Fine Arts will include this painting in their forthcoming Loiseau catalogue raisonn.