LUMINISM

painting style emphasizing a particular clarity of light that was characteristic of the works of a group of independent American painters of the third quarter of the 19th century, directly influenced by the Hudson River School. The name, however, was not coined until 1954 by John Baur, director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City. The most important painters in the Luminist style were FitzHugh Lane and Martin Heade; other members of the group included George Tirrell, Henry Walton, and J.W. Hill. Paintings by the Luminists are almost always landscapes or seascapes, particularly the latter, and are distinguished by smooth, slick finish; cold, clear colours; and meticulously detailed objects, modelled by light. The paintings typically include land, water, and sky, with the sky occupying about one-half of the composition, which is often in the form of a rather long rectangle. The works show a geometric organization, the edges of specific objects aligned parallel to the canvas edges. The treatment of atmosphere is completely different from that of the French Impressionists and other outdoor painters (see Impressionism). Rather than the uniform, engulfing atmosphere of Impressionist paintings, there are deep spaces and subtle changes. The space and the objects so clearly defined by strong contrasts of light often produce an effect of timelessness; the deep, often stilted perspective helps to create a silent and sometimes mysterious world. Although not an organized movement, later landscapists, such as George Loring Brown, adopted certain characteristics of the Luminists and therefore are sometimes classified with them. Many untrained, or nave, painters, of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially, were influenced by such elements of Luminism as the hard linearism, depth, and clear modelling based on light.