San Antonio River 1920

Robert Julian Onderdonk made this painting of the San Antonio River with oil on canvas, and what strikes me first is the rich colour. It's a painting about warmth - ambers, ochres and oranges. It feels like Onderdonk relished the process of layering these tones, pulling the light from the sky down into the depths of the river. The paint is applied loosely, intuitively. It’s like he’s trying to capture the essence of a fleeting moment. Look at the way the trees are rendered – not precise, botanical studies, but instead gestural interpretations. Notice how the dark greens of the foliage contrast with the fiery reflections in the water. It’s this tension between light and shadow, detail and suggestion, that gives the painting its depth. The painting reminds me of the work of the Hudson River School, particularly Frederic Church and Thomas Cole, who similarly sought to capture the sublime beauty of the American landscape. Like those paintings, this one invites us to slow down, breathe deep and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the world around us.