J. Francis Murphy: Tonalism

J. Francis Murphy - Landscape - ca. 1880-1890, oil on canvas, 5 1/2 x 12 in. (14.0 x 30.5 cm.) - Smithsonian American Art - Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image) J. Francis Murphy (1853-1921) was an American painter born in Oswego, New York. John would become a leading figure in American Tonalism in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Tonalism is a style of painting in which landscapes are depicted in soft light and shadows, often as if through a colored or misty veil. Imported to the U.S. by American painters inspired by landscapes produced by the Barbizon School, it was a forerunner to the many schools and colonies of American Impressionism that dominated in American art  in the first part of the 20th century. The most influential American practitioners of the style were George Inness and James McNeill Whistler. You can read about both artists here on What About Art? 

Tonalism's soft-edged realism also had an influence on the photography of the early 20th century, particularly on Alfred Stieglitz and his circle.

After moving to Chicago in 1868, J. Francis Murphy began working as a painter of theater sets and advertising billboards, sparking his artistic interests. Primarily self-taught, he did attend classes at the Chicago Academy of Design for a short time. In 1873, he was elected an Associate of the Chicago Academy of Design before progressing to Academician just a mere few weeks later. Initially attracted to the Hudson River School and the works of William Hurt, Murphy spent three months in the Adirondack Mountains sketching that same year.