Day Fifteen: An Autumn Afternoon by George Inness
Hello and welcome to Day 15 of 100 days of Tonalism.
Painted after - An Autumn Afternoon by George Inness, Study by M Francis McCarthy - Size 5x7, Oil on wood panel
Today's study is of: 'An Autumn Afternoon' by George Inness.
Another George Inness today! My favorite painter by a long mile. 'Autumn Afternoon' is definitely a second stringer for George, but his seconds are better than many other painters best work. On the video I was reading a bit that Inness wrote concerning unity in scene composition. This is an important and often overlooked aspects of Tonalism and yet it's one of the foremost ways that Tonalism differs from the American tradition of landscape painting that preceded it.
The United States is nothing if not big and full of big scenic vistas. Naturally the early generations of American painters were drawn to portraying this scenic splendor on expansive canvases filled to the brim with cunning details. While these paintings are awe inspiring, like the nature they represent, they are not intimate nor are they especially poetic. The large Hudson river school do inspire a spiritual reverence for nature but they do so by engulfing the viewer, not by coaxing him to reverie.
In future posts I'll be discussing some other aspects of Tonalism that broke with the traditions that preceded it and also of the many ways that Tonalism is evident in the work of many great masters of painting that came before.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
A bit about; 'An Autumn Afternoon' by George Inness. This was an enjoyable painting to do and it was yet another study in reds and greens. This time with the same definitely tilting towards more earthy greens. The composition of this piece is made unique even for George Inness. This composition almost challenges us to get to the scene in the distance. There is a tree set in the center of the middle acts almost as a impediment. The trees on the side act as curtains and also creates a half circle arch.
Really this is not a very successful painting even though it has many good qualities. I chose to paint it because it evidences many things tonally that I really like about George Inness. The soft edges, the implied shapes of buildings and the liberal use of shadow all contribute to an effective, yet still flawed design.
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Original painting,
An Autumn Afternoon by George Inness