Moonlight, Indian Encampment 

Ralph Blakelock created this evocative painting, "Moonlight, Indian Encampment," using oil on canvas. Blakelock wasn’t interested in precisely rendering a scene; he built up layers of paint, often mixing it with unconventional materials like sand or varnish, to achieve a luminous, dreamlike effect. It’s a far cry from the smoothly finished surfaces we often associate with academic painting. The result is a textured, almost tactile surface that shimmers with light, as if illuminated from within. This wasn’t just about aesthetics for Blakelock. He was deeply sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans, who were being dispossessed of their lands. He sought to capture the spiritual connection they had with the landscape, and the laborious processes involved in creating such a painting was about emphasizing the labor and social context of the depicted scene. Blakelock’s unconventional approach reflects a wider interest in materiality that transcends the traditional boundaries of fine art, challenging us to consider the social and cultural significance embedded in every layer of paint.