Arrochar Park, Staten Island 1903

Robert Julian Onderdonk painted Arrochar Park, Staten Island with oil on board at an unknown date. This painting encourages us to consider the relationship between urban development and the natural environment. Onderdonk created this landscape in a Realist style, typical of early twentieth century American art. It's likely that Onderdonk was inspired by the Ashcan School of painting. Here we can see a snow-covered park on Staten Island, but in the distance, the presence of buildings and telephone poles reminds us of the encroachment of urban life. Onderdonk's painting can be seen as a commentary on the changing American landscape, as industrialization and urbanization began to transform even the most rural areas. To fully understand this painting, we might consider the history of Staten Island's development, the social and economic forces that drove urbanization, and the artistic movements that sought to capture these changes on canvas. Art is contingent on social and institutional context.