untitled (landscape), Ralph Albert Blakelock

Exhibition Label: "Forms of Thought," Mar-2014, Kris Ercums Not long after dropping out of medical school and taking up painting, Blakelock traveled through the American West in 1869. He wandered as far as western Mexico and parts of Central America. His sojourns resulted in a lifelong fascination with the untarnished natural world. As seen in this painting, Blakelock’s visionary landscapes were often dark and impenetrable. Sometimes he mixed paint with bitumen (coal tar) to create a deep, black aura. Blakelock’s visionary scenes did not find a ready market. Living in New York City with a large family to support, Blakelock succumbed to a mental breakdown resulting from his endless financial woes. In 1899, the artist was institutionalized. He lived out the remainder of his life in a series of mental hospitals. Exhibition Label: "Recent Acquisitions," Mar-2006, Emily Stamey Known as a visionary painter, Ralph Albert Blakelock focused his work on conveying a scene’s emotional qualities, rather than creating literal depictions of the world around him. His paintings evoke a variety of moods, from the melancholy to the mysterious.