R. A. Blakelock (American, 1847-1919). "Early Morning with Two Canoes". Oil on canvas. c1869-1885. Signed lower left. Old lining and heavy craquelure. Old label on back of frame. Provenance: Private collection, University Park, Texas. The present painting, a prime example of Ralph Albert Blakelock's signature style, was possibly painted during one of his western sojourns between 1869 and 1872, which yielded a group of Indian encampment paintings. Blakelock was to earn a reputation for nocturnal, misty scenes, especially moonlit landscapes, large oak trees, and Indian encampments. At least by the late 1860s, he developed what became his signature expression: quiet, moody, nocturnal scenes accented with light, and trees silhouetted against the sky. He was both a late exponent of the Hudson River School of painting and also of the American West, foreshadowing the romantic, visionary, and modern tendencies that marked the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries. He had a labor-intensive technique, which was the building up of multi layers of thick paint, scraping some away, and adding more to build a complex tonality. Image size: 18 x 24 in. (457 x 610 mm). Frame size: 21 x 28 1/4 in. (533 x 718 mm). [25253] |4500| {R100} (TL10) azzz~rzzz