The Boulder and the Flume

1878
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
This picture, probably painted in 1878, shows a renowned spot in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at Franconia Notch. Blakelock had visited the site on his honeymoon voyage. The romantic excitement of the deep cleft in the rocks and the threatening boulder so precariously lodged above the icy stream has been presented, paradoxically, with great directness and objectivity. The entire painted surface is made interesting with strong contrast of light and dark and by the alternation of smooth and roughened textures that is a characteristic technique of Blakelock's.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Boulder and the Flume
  • Artist: Ralph Albert Blakelock (1847–1919)
  • Date: 1878
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 54 x 28 in. (137.2 x 71.1 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh J. Grant, 1974
  • Object Number: 1974.212
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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