Cactus in Bloom 1915

Robert Julian Onderdonk made this painting of a Cactus in Bloom, probably with oils. Look at the way Onderdonk handles the yellow, it’s like he’s playing with sunlight itself. The texture is remarkable, almost as if you could reach out and touch the prickly pears. In this painting the physicality of the medium is front and center. Notice how the paint is applied so thickly in some areas, creating depth and dimension. See how the blossoms are daubed on with such immediacy. The way he’s captured the light, the warmth, it reminds me a little bit of Van Gogh, that same intensity and appreciation for the natural world. There's this sense of endless conversation, each artist building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before, and I'm drawn to Onderdonk’s Cactus in Bloom for all it embodies.