Introducing: Luminism

Luminism refers to a type of meticulous realism characteristic of American painting during the mid-19th century, focused on light, atmosphere, and the relationship between sky and water. Coined in 1954 by John Baur, the term is sometimes used broadly to describe the entire Hudson River School of landscape painting founded by Thomas Cole. However, Luminism more accurately characterizes its younger members, including Frederic Edwin Church, Sanderson Robinson Gifford and John Frederick Kensett, as well as the works of painters like George Caleb Bingham. Their pictures were often marked by a turn away from bombastic, grandiose landscapes towards more subtle and atmospheric scenes, imbued with a quiet spirituality. They captured a breathtaking sense of light through precise smooth gradations of tone, free from any visible brush mark. A diffuse sky reflected across a large body of water was a recurring motif. Whilst Luminism and Impressionism both shared a central concern with the effects of light, they differed radically in their respective approaches. Indeed, by the 1880s, French Impressionism made American painting seem thoroughly staid and conservative. Nonetheless, Luminism marked a powerful moment that helped define the country’s perception of its untamed wilderness and the natural world.