Jean-Francois Millet, the Tonalists, value, and its importance

9x18 watercolor underpainting

9x18 pastel, value study

Jean-Francois Millet is reported to have said upon frequent occasions, " The end of the day is the test of a picture" By this he meant that in twilight the colors in the picture are merged into the masses of light and dark, the details are subordinated also to these masses, and it is possible to judge whether the values of a picture, which are it's very soul and body, are properly related. To quote in his own words from Sensier, "If a sketch is seen in dim half light at the end of a day has the requisite balance-ponderation-it is a picture; if not, no clever arrangement of colors, no skill in drawing or elaborate finish, can ever make it into a picture."

This was written in 1910 in a New York Times review by art critic Charles DeKay. It was in reference to an exhibition of contemporary American landscape painters. It was at the time of the clash of the Tonalists, in particular Charles Warren Eaton and the realism of painters like Bellows and Robert Henri. DeKay used Millet as the yardstick upon which to measure all modern landscapes.

Put simply- values matter. Your work must  have a structure based in value (not color) that relates in a strong composition and reads dramatically  from a distance.

Thinking about this I have created a value study and watercolor underpainting...so far. It will be about evening twilight before the snow flurries burst out of the clouds. The drama. The excitement and beauty. I remember this particular day and have painted about it before, see link. I didn't use this January painting as a guide, in fact I never even looked at it till now. I just remember it so well. First I created the watercolor underpainting -easy.  But I know that if the finished painting is to succeed I must get the value structure right. I must admit, I struggled with that value study.

working from memory

I continue to work bedside which gives me the luxury of time. I watch.
Last night's dusk has sat in my mind and this is my first try at evoking its feel.
I continue to read The History of American Tonalism and would like to share more, this time Whistler is my focus.

Whistler's development of memory as an artistic tool, influenced many of the artist's followers, and fundamentally differentiated his method from that of the Impressionists. Whistler would work from a balcony overlooking the Thames, or have a friend or follower row him out into the middle of the river, where he would remain for hours trying to memorize the scene:a few roof lines, window light, a few lamps here and there, the quality and variety of tone that became visible in subdued light. He found color notes were difficult to record on the spot in the dark and so became expert at memorizing. He would be very disciplined and exacting in trying to put to memory his observations, sometimes repeating observations out loud to companions and asking for verification of their accuracy. Later in the studio, quickly working with thinned paints, Whistler would try to get the memory, the impression that remained in his mind, down on the canvas. This constituted a crucial difference between the Impressionist plein air painting and the Tonalist painting. -taken from  The History of American Tonalism 1880-1920

More tomorrow. In the meantime check out Deborah Paris' post about memory.

A History of American Tonalism and nocturnes

6:45am

6:00am

Studies for the nocturne. It's funny the light is so cool I am going to stretch it to add the warmer burnt sienna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's finally here! We have all been waiting for ages for it finally to be out...A History of American Tonalism, 609 pages of goodness, amazing paintings. Starting from the new ideas of William Morris Hunt and  John La Farge and continuing to the present day with such artists as Lisa Breslow and Wolf Kahn.  Each page is more tantalizing than the next. Another must buy!