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9: An emphasis on the broad, graphic, ultimately abstract reading of major forms, producing an immediacy of emotional response to paintings, especially at a distance.
The Tonalist movement focused on abstraction in both composition and evoking emotions in artwork.
Artists aimed to create images that had an immediate impact on viewers.
Leonard Ochtman
Spirit of Fall
One example is Leonard Ochtman's painting "Spirit of Fall," which was reviewed by Charles de Kay in the New York Times in 1905. De Kay described the painting as a large tonal landscape with a delicate sky and balanced composition.
The wooded areas on either side and a road in the valley depicted by rows of trees and a moving hay cart created the sense of conversing fields of wheat and green pasture. The distant view hinted at the turn of the valley based on the lay of the land.
Leonard Ochtman
Early Winter, ca. 1900
In Ochtman's "Early Winter" from 1900, the geometric design stood out. The horizontal lines of the hills and the radiant sky centred on the setting sun stimulated our imagination and love for patterns.
The artwork also highlighted the craftsmanship involved in turning reality into an aesthetic experience.
Ben Foster
Cornwall Stream, ca. 1905
Ben Foster's "Cornwall Stream" from 1905 immediately grabs attention with its bold portrayal of landforms. The receding stream bank is flanked by diagonally retreating trees, with hills and a sky filled with radiating clouds in the background.
The interplay between these large abstract elements creates the essential aesthetic drama of the painting.
Robert Swain Gifford
Naushoun, ca. 1890
Robert Swain Gifford's "Naushon" from 1890 has a powerful impact due to the simplicity of its bold arrangement of major landscape elements.
The sombre foreground contrasts with a river or bay glittering enticingly in a zigzag pattern in the middle ground. The hazy distant horizon and grandiloquent cloud-filled sky above add to the vastness and visionary quality of the painting, overshadowing a small fisherman's hut in the middle ground.
Emil Carlsen
White Pine, 1926
Emil Carlsen's "White Pine" is a vigorous and modernist portrayal of a glade of trees. The composition is unusually narrow and cropped to emphasise its dramatic impact.
This painting demonstrates the power of formal abstraction achieved through a severe and minimalist portrayal of everyday scenes.
Arthur Bowen Davies
Blue Distance, ca. 1926
Arthur B. Davies' "Blue Distance" exemplifies the near-complete abstraction characteristic of the Tonalists.
This painting showcases the increasing emotional power and deep feeling projected by the finest practitioners of the movement.
Summary
Summary
1. The Tonalist movement focused on abstraction in artwork to evoke emotional impact.
2. Tonalism aimed to create imagery with an immediate visceral effect.
3. Leonard Ochtman's painting "Spirit of Fall" was reviewed by Charles de Kay in 1905.
4. "Spirit of Fall" is described as a tonal landscape with a balanced composition.
5. Ochtman's "Early Winter" has a geometric design and appeals to our imagination and love of patterns.
6. Ben Foster's "Cornwall Stream" captures attention with its bold depiction of landforms.
7. Robert Swain Gifford's "Naushon" has a simple arrangement of major landscape elements with a grandiloquent sky.
8. Emil Carlsen's "White Pine" is a modernist rendition of a glade of trees.
9. "White Pine" emphasises the power of formal abstraction through a minimalist portrayal.
10. Arthur B. Davies' "Blue Distance" showcases complete abstraction and deep feeling of the Tonalist movement.
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