George Inness started as a Hudson River School painter but became the ultimate Tonalist both encapsulating and transcending Tonalism.
I'm not going to rewrite his bio here as I've got painting to do and you can find lots of info here and tons of images here.
I recall hearing Inness's name when I was younger but he was never counted along with the greats. No doubt this was because Tonalism itself fell out of favour with the increased popularity of modernism in art.
When I first came across the paintings of Inness I felt like I had met a artistic kindred spirit. The moody, spiritual landscapes he painted moved me in a way that only music had previously. His use of transparent shadow and an intense yet earthy pallet was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I've never copied Inness directly since then but I've endeavoured to recreate in my work the same feeling of deep emotion and insight that Inness brought to bear in his work.
There is a book available on-line that gives some insight into Inness written by his son George Inness Jr. Unfortunately there's not much information in regard to his technique but Inness was above technique in that he would do anything to his canvas or panel from using the end of his bush to using his fingers or even scratching at the surface with a dry brush to get his desired effect.
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