Julian Onderdonk | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Julian Onderdonk (1901), byWilliam Merritt Chase,Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas | |
| Born | July 30, 1882 San Antonio, Texas |
| Died | October 27, 1922 (aged 40) San Antonio, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Impressionist painter |
Robert Julian Onderdonk (July 30, 1882 – October 27, 1922) was aTexan Impressionist painter, often called "the father of Texas painting."[citation needed]
Julian Onderdonk was born inSan Antonio, Texas, toRobert Jenkins Onderdonk, a painter, and Emily Gould Onderdonk. He was the brother of Eleanor Onderdonk, also a prominent Texas painter, sculptor, and art administrator.[1] His grandfather Henry Onderdonk was the Headmaster ofSaint James School in Maryland, from which Julian's father Robert graduated.[2]
He was raised in South Texas and was an enthusiastic sketcher and painter. As a teenager Onderdonk was influenced and received some training from the prominent Texas artistVerner Moore White who also lived in San Antonio at the time. He attended theWest Texas Military Academy, now the TMI Episcopal, graduating in 1900.[3]
At 19, with the help of a generous neighbor, Julian left Texas in order to study with the renownedAmerican ImpressionistWilliam Merritt Chase. Julian's father, Robert, had also once studied with Chase. Julian spent the summer of 1901 onLong Island at Chase'sShinnecock Hills Summer School of Art. He studied with Chase for a couple of years and then moved toNew York City to attempt to make a living as anen plein air artist. While in New York he met and married Gertrude Shipman and they soon had a daughter, Adrienne.[3]
Onderdonk returned to San Antonio in 1909, where he produced his best work. His most popular subjects werebluebonnet landscapes.
PresidentGeorge W. Bush decorated theOval Office with three of Onderdonk's paintings.[4][5] TheDallas Museum of Art has several rooms dedicated exclusively to Onderdonk's work.[6]
His art studio currently resides on the grounds of theWitte Museum.
Harry A. Halff and Elizabeth Halff spent twenty years gathering his works into a book they published calledJulian Onderdonk: A Catalogue Raisonne.[7] TheSan Antonio Museum of Art created an exhibit to coincide with the publication of the book which included 25 of Onderdonk's paintings from January 20-April 23, 2017.[8][5]
Onderdonk died of an acuteintestinal obstruction andappendicitis on October 27, 1922, in San Antonio. He was buried in Alamo Masonic Cemetery.[9][10][11]
.jpg)
_-_Dawn_In_The_Hills_(1922).jpg)
!["Landscape with Figure on Path", c. 1908 [12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJulian-Onderdonk-landscape-with-figure-on-path.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
