Imaginary landscapes: A study of the late nineteenth-century works of George Inness, California Tonalism, Tonalinfluxus and Tonalexegesi

The term Tonalism is largely misleading, because it is descriptive of formal tonal qualities alone and does not expound upon the deeper spiritualistic roots of this art style. My research thesis expands upon the nineteenth-century scholarship of Wanda Corn, Nicolai Cikovsky, Michael Quick, Adrienne Baxter Bell, Rachael Ziady De Lue, Harvey Jones, and many others. I examine the highly subjective works of Tonalist George Inness, by contextualizing them within the tenets of his Swedenborgian faith. Going beyond the formal tonal qualities implied by the categorical term Tonalism, I examine the spiritual influx of Inness' own unique brand of Tonalism, thus establishing the need to subcategorize this unique style as Tonalinfluxism. I also propose the term Tonalexegesis to be used in categorizing Inness' unique modes of correspondence with God through his art, based on Swedenborg's theory of exegesis. Lastly, this thesis shows how Inness' work impacted and inspired the work of many late-nineteenth-century California artists.