January 23, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sarah Boehme, Director
409.886.ARTS (2787)
ORANGE, Texas, January 23, 2009 - A major loan exhibition of works of art by Texas native Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922) will be on view February 10 through May 24, 2009, at the Stark Museum of Art. Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and features over 90 paintings loaned from public and private collections. The exhibition celebrates the work of the great landscape artist who created indelible images of the Lone Star State.
Julian Onderdonk is primarily known for his portrayal of the Texas bluebonnet, though he explored various landscape scenes throughout his career. His work reflects the teachings of his mentor, William Merritt Chase, with its quick execution, heavy application of paint and broadly sketched composition. Onderdonk studied under Chase at the Shinnecock Summer School in Long Island before returning to his home state of Texas to continue painting. His work depicts the dramatic Western light and spiritual connection to the land so often illustrated by other American Western artists of the time; however, Onderdonk broke new ground by applying his unique, Chase-inspired painting style to the Texas landscape. He focused on the bluebonnet after experimenting with various types of vegetation in his landscape paintings, and his portrayal of the beloved blue flower earned Onderdonk critical acclaim and inspired numerous imitators.
Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist explores works created by Onderdonk throughout his career. The 94-piece exhibition includes works Onderdonk painted while attending Chase's summer school in Long Island as well as other scenes he experienced during his life in New York and Texas. Also on view will be works by William Merritt Chase, and a portrait of Julian by his father, Robert Jenkins Onderdonk, who also studied under Chase and imparted some of his knowledge to Julian Onderdonk's early childhood studies. The Stark Museum has added loans, not shown in Dallas, from the Witte Museum of portraits by Julian and Robert Jenkins Onderdonk depicting G. Bedell Moore, a founder of the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company in Orange.
The Stark Museum of Art Education and Collections staff has created an Education Area for children and families adjacent to the exhibition. The area includes magnet boards and hands-on activity stations that explore the elements of art and the Texas landscape, as well as a timeline prepared by the Dallas Museum of Art. The Education department will also offer docent-led, interactive tours of the exhibition for school groups.
Stark Museum of Art Director Sarah Boehme said, "We are excited to present Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist as our first major loan exhibition. From across the country, private collectors and organizations such as the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, and the University of Washington Art Gallery have loaned paintings. We are pleased to be involved with this important exhibition because it re-evaluates Onderdonk's art. It places Onderdonk in the tradition of landscape painting established by Chase, the premier American landscape artist of this period. It is also visually stunning. We have one gallery section devoted to bluebonnet paintings with over 20 paintings in Onderdonk's impressionistic approach."
In association with this exhibition Dr. William Rudolph, who curated the exhibition for the Dallas Museum of Art, will give a talk. Titled Chase-ing the Landscape: Julian Onderdonk's Ways of Seeing, the free talk will be held on February 6 at 6:30 PM at the Lutcher Theater, 707 Main Avenue. Rudolph will explore how Onderdonk applied Chase's principles to a new landscape, his home state of Texas. Following the talk will be a preview of the exhibition and reception at the Stark Museum of Art.
During the exhibition, copies of Rudolph's book Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
In addition to the talk, the Stark Museum of Art will present other programs related to the exhibition. It will co-sponsor a Painting in the Landscape workshop in partnership with Lamar State College - Orange. Artists, both beginning and practiced, will tour the exhibition and paint outdoors. The free workshop will be held every Saturday from February 28 through March 28, when participants will display their paintings with fellow local artists at Art in the Park. Registration information can be found on the Lamar State College - Orange website, www.lsco.edu, or by calling 409.882.3321. The Stark Museum of Art will also hold a free Family Day on Saturday, April 18 from 10 AM to 2 PM, with activities to explore the exhibition.
Located at 712 Green Avenue in Orange, Texas, the Stark Museum of Art is open to the public at no charge Tuesday through Saturday. Hours are from 10 AM - 5 PM. Group tours are available by appointment. For more information call 409.886.ARTS (2787) or visit www.starkmuseum.org.
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922),
Untitled (Field of Bluebonnets), n.d.
Oil on canvas, 23 3/8 x 39 3/8 inches. Dallas Museum of Art.
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922),
Bluebonnet Scene with a Girl, 1920.
Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches. The Odgen Museum of Southern Art,
University of New Orleans.
About the Stark Museum of Art
The Stark Museum of Art focuses on the stunning land, the dramatic people and the diverse wildlife of the American West. Paintings, sculpture and prints interpret the West from nineteenth century frontier artists to the twentieth century artistic colonies in New Mexico. Artists include John James Audubon, Frederic Remington, Charles Marion Russell, and many others.
The museum also features a significant collection of American Indian art, including baskets, pottery, clothing, and weavings. Other permanent collections in the museum include the complete porcelain American Bird Series by Dorothy Doughty and the only complete series of
The United States in Crystal, a collection of crystal urns produced by Steuben Glass to depict the 50 states and the Union.
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