Tangible Light

The Mattatuck Museum showcases works of American Tonalism soon to become part of the institution's collection

Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897), The Saint Lawrence River. Oil on canvas, 29 x 45½ in. Courtesy Frederic Thaler and Kathleen Love Mooney.

Subtle color tones, expressive paint and soft-edged forms are used to achieve the atmospheric aesthetic we have come to know as Tonalism, a style that emerged in the 1880s in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The Mattatuck Museum is presenting a selection of roughly 20 American Tonalist works, most of which will be donated to the museum’s permanent collection exhibition by Frederic Thaler and Kathleen Love Mooney following the exhibition. The artworks featured in At First Light: American Tonalism, span from the early 1880s to the late 1910s.

Addison Thomas Millar (1860-1913), Sunset Lane, North Holland. Oil on board, 12% x 15½ in. Courtesy Frederic Thaler and Kathleen Love Mooney.