Road to the Hills 1918

Robert Julian Onderdonk made this landscape painting, “Road to the Hills,” with oil on canvas. You can see the blue sky with gentle brushstrokes, the greens and browns from the land, and the shadows that create depth. I really feel for Onderdonk when I look at this painting. I imagine him outside, squinting in the Texas sun, trying to figure out how to capture the light. The way he’s applied the paint here is almost crusty, you know? Like he’s really wrestling with the medium to get it to do what he wants. There’s something so physical about the way he builds up the layers of paint, especially in the foreground. I can see the touch of his brush, the movement of his hand, the way he’s trying to make sense of the world around him. It reminds me that painting is always a conversation, with oneself and with other artists. We're all just trying to figure things out, one brushstroke at a time.