Ralph Blakelock

Happy Birthday Ralph Blakelock!! This painter was born in New York in 1847 and originally began studying medicine, but after a few years quit and traveled west. Self taught, he began to paint landscapes as well as scenes of Native American life. Blakelock married and had nine children and although he was considered an artistic genius, providing for his large family proved too much for him and he was institutionalized after suffering a mental breakdown. His art increased in popularity and value and eventually he was released from the institution and he painted for the remainder of his life. The painting included below is titled Moonlight and was painted in 1885.