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Tonalism
1880-1920
example of Tonalist painting style
Characteristics and Description of the Tonalist Painting Style and Technique
Tonalism is rooted in the French Barbizon movement, which emphasized atmosphere and shadow. The Tonalist style employs a distinctive technique by the use of color's middle values as opposed to stronger contrast and high chroma. Resulting in a understated and compelling overall effect. The tonalist subject matter is never entirely apparent; their is no effort to communicate a message or narrate a story. Instead of relating a story, each sensitively chosen color, composition, and line is arranged to create an intriguing visual poem.
The interiors of tonalist paintings are generally elegant and sparsely decorated, tonally uniform, simplified and indistinct; the figures are usually presented alone in silent contemplation. Landscapes are typically luscious and luminous with evocative atmospheric effects featuring misty backgrounds illuminated by moonlight. Tonalists painters were drawn to both the natural and spiritual realms. They sought to awaken the viewers consciousness by shrouding the subject in a misty indistinct veil of emotionalism. The palette is minimal, characterized by warm hues of brown, soft greens, gauzy yellows and muted grays. Preferred themes were evocative moonlight nights and poetic, vaporous landscapes. Tonalist painters seemed to favored unconscious states and psychological experiences over reality.
Principle Painters of Tonalism Movement
Ralph
Albert Blakelock American,
1847-1919
Thomas
Wilmer Dewing American,
1851-1938]
Robert
Swain Gifford American,
1840-1905
Alexander
Thomas Harrison American,
1854 -1929
Lowell
Birge Harrison American,
1854-1929
George
Inness American,
1825-1894
John
La Farge American,
1835-1910
Arthur
Frank Mathews American,
1860-1945
John
Francis Murphy American,
1853-1921
Albert
Pinkham Ryder American,
1847-1917
John
Henry Twachtman American,1853-1902
Julian
Alden Weir American,1852-1919
James
Abbott McNeill Whistler American,
1843-1903
Important words and phrases associated with the Tonalist movement - obscured details, single-figure themes, the natural and spiritual domain, waking, unconscious states, sleep, dreams, death, aura, religious significance, emotionalism, emotionalists, pictorial space, compositional space, diffused light, incandescent glow, organic forms, artistic inspiration, illusionistic representation, luminous, transcendentalist, glowing, metaphysical, emotional expression, poetic, evocative
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