An Indian Encampment

Ralph Albert Blakelock

ca. 1880–1900 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

In his early twenties, Blakelock, a native New Yorker best known for his moonlight scenes, made a trip to the West that stimulated his interest in the American wilderness and indigenous peoples. In this later painting, tiny figures of men and horses are set intimately in a rough clearing around an encampment. The coarse textures of the trees and scrubby bushes derive from Blakelock’s experimental practice of painting in thick layers that were later smoothed down with a pumice stone. This unusual technique contributed to the enigmatic mood of the artist’s work.

Artist

Ralph Albert Blakelock

Date

ca. 1880–1900

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of George A. Hearn, 1906