Julian Onderdonk and the Texan Landscape
San Antonio Museum of Art
January 20 - April 23, 2017
The San Antonio Museum of Art presents Julian Onderdonk and the Texan Landscape. The exhibition explores the work of legendary San Antonio painter Julian Onderdonk, from views of the Long Island landscape to sweeping impressions of the Hill Country and the iconic Texas bluebonnet.
Born in San Antonio in 1882, Julian Onderdonk trained first with his father, Robert Jenkins Onderdonk (1851–1917), one of the city's most important early artists. Julian Onderdonk further studied in New York under American Impressionist William Merritt Chase, whose mantra that an artist should work outdoors and paint what he or she saw forever marked Julian's work. After returning to Texas in 1909, Julian Onderdonk found his life's calling. He portrayed the distinctive surroundings of his state at different times of day, in different atmospheric conditions, and at different times of year to the delight of collectors and critics. Just as he reached the peak of his fame, his sudden death, at age 40, in 1922, cut his career short.
"Julian Onderdonk's work still influences the way visitors revere—and artists paint—the Texas landscape," said Dr. William Keyse Rudolph, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Curator and the Marie and Hugh Halff Curator of American Art. "It is exciting to share over two dozen works with the public, many of which are from private collections."
The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
JULIAN ONDERDONK. A CATALOGUE RAISONNE
Julian Onderdonk and the Texan Landscape coincides with the publication of
Julian Onderdonk: A Catalogue Raisonné
by Harry A. Halff and Elizabeth Halff,
who spent twenty years tracking down the works.
SAMA - SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART
200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78215