National Academy Museum Reexamines Ralph Albert Blakelock's Overlooked Legacy

From October 2, 2008, to January 4, 2009, 'The Unknown Blakelock' was showcased at the National Academy Museum located at 1083 Fifth Avenue in New York City. This exhibition aimed to reevaluate Ralph Albert Blakelock (1847), who had been eclipsed by Albert Pinkham Ryder. Unlike his American Impressionist counterparts, Blakelock created his art in New York, producing pieces such as 'Shanties' (1864) and 'Western Landscape' (1871). During the 1880s, he refined his technique, employing tools like a meat cleaver and pumice stone. His moonlit scenes, including 'Moonlight Silver and Old Lace,' featured groundbreaking surface techniques. Influenced by Ruysdael and Turner, his later works like 'Woodland Brook' and 'Early Autumn' foreshadowed Abstract Expressionism, emphasizing his role as a colorist and his unique artistic evolution.