In 1874 French Impressionist Alfred Sisley The Lesson, depicting a boy and girl is shown across from each other at a table studying. The paint is thickly applied and little effort is made by the artist to portray his characters.
He is more concerned with the act of concentration and the decorative possibilities of the scene. The girl’s hair bobbin rhymes with the decoration of the background flowers and the thick paint relate a mood of quiet thought.