Sunset

Divine solitude and stillness are embodied in the landscapes of Ralph Blakelock, which were a distillation of his personal experiences in the primeval forests of the United States’ western territories. Blakelock first traveled west in 1869 and made a second journey in 1872. Carrying his sketchbook, he lived among the Native Americans and became intimately acquainted with their customs and the environment in which they lived. Upon his return, his work slowly progressed from a clear and precise rendering of nature, typical of the Hudson River school, to a more symbolic, less literal depiction. Blakelock’s profound reverence for nature found new meaning in the spiritualism of Emanuel Swedenborg, who professed that a divine vital force permeated all living things. In attempting to convey nature’s inner life force, Blakelock began utilizing a more painterly and expressive approach to his landscapes. His palette, which became increasingly subdued, was veiled with multiple layers of glazing that created an aura of mysticism.

Sunset, shown at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915, was one of many luminous pictures of moonlit vistas, sunsets, and “Indian encampments” that Blakelock produced from 1875 to 1890. In this serene landscape the few narrative elements—a male figure, Native Americans, tepees, and canoes—are barely discernible, as the artist’s concern for the painted surface and the mood it evokes begins to take precedence. The dense forest, thickly applied in rich browns and greens, reflects the iridescent glow of the wide-open sky. The fiery orange sun resting on the horizon enhances the mysterious atmosphere of the scene.

Blakelock, a self-taught, independent painter, was categorized by critics as an Impressionist, a Symbolist, a Tonalist, and a romantic visionary. Although difficult to label, his innovative landscapes drawn from memory and imagination, helped steer the course of American art toward abstraction.