untitled (landscape)

Ralph Albert Blakelock, artist

1847–1919

untitled (landscape), 1880s–1890s

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: oil; canvas

Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 26 x 39.2 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 10 1/4 x 15 7/16 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 16 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 2 1/4 in

Credit line: Gift of Alan and Martha Gage Elton in honor of Professor Charles C. Eldredge

Accession number: 2005.0199

Not on display

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Label texts

Forms of Thought

In 1869, not long after dropping out of medical school and taking up painting, Blakelock traveled through the American West. 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. Living in New York City with a large family to support, Blakelock’s visionary scenes did not find a ready market, and his endless financial woes resulted in a mental breakdown. In 1899 Blakelock was institutionalized and lived out his life in a series of mental hospitals.

Forms of Thought

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:
"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.