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1015. Ralph Albert Blakelock (American, 1847-1919), "Wooded Landscape", c.1880; oil/panel, 9" x 15", signed, fine frame that is signed, M.Grieve Co. NY/London. Blakelock painted traditional Hudson River School style landscapes early in his career, exhibited them at the National Academy, but a trip to the West Coast from 1869-1971 had a profound effect on his style of painting. His work became focused on mood and imagination rather than natural representation. His soft tonalist landscapes, with paint layered thickly, were an extreme departure from accepted academic fashion, and he encountered great difficulty selling them. He fell into extreme poverty, his behavior became questionable, and he was institutionalized in 1899. Ironically, although he remained poor and incarcerated, his works began to command high prices by the 1910s, and Blakelock was named an academician by the National Academy of Design. 2000-3000 |
