Class 3 part 2 of PAINTING BEAUTIFUL TONALIST LANDSCAPES - Painting Demonstration

In part 2 of this class, we look at how other artists have used values and edges to create the illusion of atmosphere and space. In the second half of this video, Michael Orwick does a painting demonstration using the elements we are learning. Tonalism is a nuanced term, but I like to think of it (for simplicity’s sake) as a coin with two sides. One side contains the technical aspects, and the other the artistic expression. From a purely technical perspective, classic Tonalism consists of the use of a very narrow value range. On a value scale of 1-10, the artist would choose three/four values to employ in the work, usually from the middle of the scale. For example, the artist would select a value set of 3-5, 4-6, or 5-7. Nothing too bright, nothing too dark. A sense of atmosphere and mood conveyed through the use of these and other technical devices are generally also typical of classic Tonalism. - Justin T. Worrell Artists often associated with tonalism include Henry Ward Ranger, Ralph Blakelock, George Bogert, Bruce Crane, Charles Melville Dewey, Charles Warren Eaton, Arthur Hoeber, William Lathrop, Robert Minor, J. Francis Murphy, George Inness, Alexander Wyant, Homer Dodge Martin, Leon Dabo, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Dwight Tryon, J. Alden Weir and John Henry Twachtman. Clearly, there was a link between the early-nineteenth century Romanticism and the poetic mode of Tonalism. Twachtman’s painting of the Dutch windmill scene demonstrates the use of reserved color and tonal characteristics so strong in many of his paintings.