Ralph Albert Blakelock

Ralph Albert Blakelock painted dark, dreamy landscapes: moonlight through lacy trees, twilight pools and Native American camps under glowing skies. He built his pictures up over years, adding layers of paint and then scraping, rubbing and scoring them back, so the surfaces feel rich and jewel-like.

Born in New York City in 1847, he was largely self-taught and spent three years travelling alone through the American West between 1869 and 1872, staying for a time with Native American communities. Those memories returned in pictures such as Indian Encampment on the James River. He was a poor businessman and sold his work cheaply; illness ended his painting career in 1899, and only afterwards did prices soar. In 1916 he was elected to the National Academy of Design. His work is in the Metropolitan Museum, the Smithsonian and the Brooklyn Museum.

Stand back from a moonlight scene and the silhouetted trees become the subject.