The groundbreaking, definitive study of Tonalism: the school of expressive landscape painting that give rise to American modernism Back in stock with improved color printing Extensive coverage of more than 60 artists, including Ralph Albert Blakelock • Thomas Dewing • Charles Warren Eaton • George Inness • Albert Pinkham Ryder • John Twachtman • J. Alden Weir • James McNeill Whistler This magnificent volume, featuring more than 750 illustrations, is the first definitive account of the Tonalist movement. Based on original research, it tells how the progressive Tonalist landscape dethroned the Hudson River School in the late 1870s and remained the dominant school in American art until World War I. More provocatively, it also argues that Tonalism gave rise to American modernism, laying the groundwork for the artists of the Stieglitz Circle, and subsequently Milton Avery, Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, Barnett Newman, Helen Frankenthaler, Wolf Kahn, and Richard Mayhew.  A History of American Tonalism places the key figures of the movement―such as George Inness, James McNeill Whistler, and John Henry Twachtman―in their cultural context, which was influenced by such thinkers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Burroughs, and William James. It also examines the careers of more than sixty other Tonalist painters, lesser known but highly talented. This new edition of A History of American Tonalism includes more than one hundred new illustrations, as well as a new overview of the stylistic principles of Tonalism. It will continue to be essential for art lovers, artists, scholars, and anyone seeking a better understanding not only of the Tonalist movement but American art as a whole. " The first scholarly survey of the Tonalists. This volume, a landmark of scholarship, has uncovered some treasures and is likely to change our understanding of the development of American art." ― The Art Newspaper, No. 222 "Cleveland, whose writing is both elegant and accessible, gives the Tonalist discussion a shot of energy. . . This wonderfully written book will delight general audiences and scholars alike. Summing Up : Highly recommended." ― CHOICE "Silver Medal Winner in Art History: Book of the Year Awards, 2010 " ― ForeWord Reviews " Winner: Outstanding Academic Title 2011 " ― American Library Association David Adams Cleveland is a novelist and art historian whose latest novel, Reunions , was published in September 2025. His most recent art history book, A History of American Tonalism, won the Silver Medal in Art History in the Book of the Year Awards (2010) and Outstanding Academic Title (2011) from the American Library Association. The third edition and fourth printing from Abbeville Press (2025) has gone on to be one of the best-selling books in American art history and is now the standard reference in its field. His prior novel, Gods of Deception , was described by the WSJ ’s Walter Russell Mead as “an accomplished and compelling novel of enormous ambition . . . the author is a major American novelist whose ear for language, eye for both artistic and natural detail, cultural scholarship, understanding of human character, and feel for American social reality, makes him a national treasure." Gods of Deception was a 2022 Indies Book of the Year finalist for historical fiction. His third novel, Time’s Betrayal , (starred review, Booklist ) was awarded Best Historical Novel of 2017 by Reading the Past . His second novel, Love's Attraction , was praised by Booklist as “a family saga moving between Concord and Venice―a twisty, atmospheric tale, leisurely told, about love and creativity, grief and pain, family and identity.” Fictionalcities.uk included Love's Attraction on its list of top novels for 2013. His first novel, With a Gemlike Flame , drew wide praise for its evocation of Venice and the hunt for a lost masterpiece by Raphael. David was a regular reviewer for ARTnews , and has written for The Magazine Antiques , the American Art Review , and Dance Magazine . For almost a decade, he served as Arts Editor at Voice of America . He and his wife split their time between the Catskills and Siesta Key.