San Antonio River 1920

Robert Julian Onderdonk captured the San Antonio River with soft brushstrokes, and a palette full of ochre, gold and dark green. I imagine him standing there, feeling the weight of the brush in his hand, the canvas slightly rough against his fingertips. There's an autumnal feeling, even though it is a landscape of greens, browns, and golds. The light is very present as it bounces off the water, and the trees that surround the river. I wonder what Onderdonk was thinking when he painted this. Was he simply trying to capture the beauty of nature, or was he trying to convey something deeper? I can't help but think of Monet and the Impressionists, they similarly sought to capture the fleeting moments of light and color in their own landscapes. Artists are always responding to each other, aren't they? And here, Onderdonk, like those who came before him, leaves us with a beautiful, ambiguous scene, open for us to experience and interpret.