Ralph Sessions, The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism, 2005, HC, Near Fine

Sessions, Ralph. New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC, 2005.

English, First Edition, Near Fine, HC, Folio, 9 ¾” x 12 ¾,” 200 pp.

ISBN: 0945936745

Full-color pictorial wrap paper over boards, white text to front, spine, and back, red endpapers and pastedowns. Very mild bumping to head and tail of spine, very mild bumping to corners, very mild shelfwear, very minor edgewear, otherwise clean, tightly bound, and excellent. 200 pp. Replete with full-color and black-and-white images. Contributions by Ralph Sessions, Jack Becker, Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., et al. A look at the American Tonalism movement, starting with an overview and moving into specific artists, including George Inness and Alfred Stieglitz, and mediums, including photography and ceramics. Essays highlight selected works from the movement. Tonalism has its roots in painting, but also “had affinities with several other artistic developments in areas such as photography, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and poetry. It can, in fact, be seen as the expression of a cultural mindset as well as an aesthetic with a broad reach” (from the Introduction, p. 9).