The Family at Cards (unfinished) 

Robert Julian Onderdonk painted "The Family at Cards," likely around the turn of the century, with oil on canvas, though it was never completed. It is difficult to extract a final meaning from an unfinished work. However, we can use our knowledge of the American art world, as well as details of Onderdonk's biography, to place it into its social context. Born into a prominent San Antonio family, Onderdonk left Texas to pursue training at the Art Students League in New York under artists like William Merritt Chase. While in New York he was exposed to new, more progressive art styles. However, upon returning to Texas, he embraced more conservative artistic styles, for which he was celebrated in his local community. In this context, an unfinished painting of a family playing cards suggests a story cut short, or a moment of uncertainty. The family unit and the cultural institutions of art changed dramatically through the early decades of the 20th century, a change that Onderdonk did not live to see. Art history helps us understand the cultural dynamics of the moment in which this painting was made.