Landscape with Cattle 1910

Robert Julian Onderdonk painted this landscape with cattle at an unknown date with what looks like a pretty standard array of oil paints and brushes. What grabs me is the way the paint's been dragged and dabbed, especially in the foreground; it’s almost like he’s sculpting the earth with these thick, juicy strokes. Up close, you can really see how the texture works, how the browns and greens are layered to create this sense of depth, like the ground is alive and breathing. And then there are these pops of light, these almost pastel shades in the sky that create this kind of dreamlike atmosphere. Look at the way the light catches on the backs of the cows; it’s like he's using the paint to capture a fleeting moment. It reminds me a little of Corot, in the way he uses light and shadow to create a mood, but Onderdonk has this roughness, this almost folksy quality that makes it feel very American, like a landscape seen through a slightly blurry, romantic lens. It's a landscape filled with so much possibility and open to endless interpretations, don't you think?