Customer Reviews

Julian Onderdonk: American Impressionist (Dallas Museum of Art Publications)

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The book features photographs of paintings exhibited at Dallas Museum of Art, entitled: "Julian Onderdonk: Bluebonnets and Beyond". The book is edited by William Rudolph with contributions by A. Kate Sheerin and Chloe Barnett.

San Antonio artist, Julian Onderdonk 1882-1922 studied with William Merritt Chase 1849-1916. Julian Onderdonk returned to San Antonio to paint the areas he knew and loved.

The book's catalogue of paintings shows masterful impressionistic landscapes which include brush country, hills, seasonal changes in southwest Texas as well as his bluebonnets. Since receiving the book, I have enjoyed touring the familiar area again and again from my comfortable chair.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist, organised by the Dallas Museum of Art, 2008. The opening essay looks at Julian Onderdonk alongside William Merritt Chase (who also taught Julian's father and first art instructor Robert) arguing that it was Chase who determined Julian's artistic direction and career; it traces the artist's education and development. The following essay, Julian Onderdonk and the Regional American Landscape, considers Julian Onderdonk's standing as an artist, and on the evidence of the work include here it is hard not to agree with the authors conclusion.

Following the catalogue, which occupies the major portion of the book, is a very interesting chronology which traces in parallel Texas and the Wilder World, The Life of William Merritt Chase and The Lives of Robert and Julian Onderdonk. The book includes an exhibition checklist, a bibliography and an index; the two essays are supported by ample notes.

The book is well illustrated in full colour throughout; there are 93 plates in the catalogue section which includes one or two examples by Chase and Robert Onderdonk. In addition there are numerous pictures illustrating the essays of work by Julian, Chase and others, again all in full colour with the obvious exceptions of period black and white photographs.

This is a fine yet relatively modest (in size) publication. I was pleased to see one or two examples of a detail from paintings. However I do have one quibble and that is with the size of the reproduction of many of the paintings illustrated. Much of Julian's work is quite small, in fact small enough that the reproductions could have been reproduced life size, and yet I could not find one example so presented.

Julian Onderdonk: American Impressionist (Dallas Museum of Art Publications)

This is a fantastic book...about a perhaps little publicized but highly significant Texas artist, and Amazon is certainly the bargain source for buying it.

This is a fantastic book, gorgeous photos. I saw most of the paintings recently at an exhibit in San Antonio so I am a big fan of this artist. His work is breathtaking. Highly recommend!

Onderdonk recently had an exhibition at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Although a small coffee table book, it captures the color and beauty of his paintings. A real treat for those of us who make the spring pilgrimage into the Hill Country to view the bluebonnets in all their glory.