JUNE 2024

CASETA NEWSLETTER

DoubleTree by Hilton

Houston-Greenway Plaza

6 East Greenway Plaza

Houston, Texas 77046

2024 June 29

Texas Art Signature® Auction #8169

Fresh-to-market works by Frank Reaugh,

David Bates, Everett Franklin Spruce

and more!

Julian Onderdonk (American, 1882-1922)

A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio, 1921

Oil on canvas

12 x 16 inches (30.5 x 40.6 cm)

Signed lower left: Julian Onderdonk

Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse: A Field of "Bluebonnets," / San Antonio, Texas / Julian Onderdonk / 1921

Masterpiece Onderdonk Painting Saved from Thrift-Store Fate Tops Heritage’s June 29 Texas Art Auction

DALLAS, Texas (June 12, 2024) — The painting was loaded into a trailer along with other donations

and was headed to Goodwill.

Once there, it would probably sit for ages and eventually, someone would notice its charismatic beauty and snap it up for a few dollars.

Bluebonnet paintings — a mainstay of American West artists for a century — are not hard to come by, but this one was different. Whoever had packed the truck had either not noticed or not understood the signature

“Julian Onderdonk” on the lower front and back of the canvas.......

Hi-Res images available:

Christina Rees, Public Relations Specialist

214-409-1341 or Christina Rees@HA.com

Stephen Rascoe

Landscape with Horses, c.1949

oil on masonite

20"x30

Stephen T. Rascoe | A Life in Art

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art | Paintings from 1949-1980

This June, Houston will host CASETA’s (Center for Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art) annual symposium and art fair dedicated to early Texas art – defined as artists active at least 40 years ago. With this cutoff date bringing us into the 1980s, early Texas art has moved from impressionism and regionalism through modernism and post-modernism, bringing a new generation of artists into the fold, continuing the evolution of the conversation “what is Texas art?” 

Coinciding with CASETA, Foltz Fine Art will present concurring exhibitions dedicated to taking a closer look at Texas Modernism and its links to contemporary Texas art, the highlight of the gallery being a survey exhibition as well as a “rediscovery” exhibition of paintings by Stephen T. Rascoe (1924–2008).

Rascoe was a well-known Texas artist and professor who produced a prolific body of work during the 1940s-1980s, ranging from pure abstraction and later evolving into his personal take on a kind of impressionistic naturalism. Like many post-war American artists, Rascoe’s life and art reflects its era. Coming of age in a time of greater access allowed artists such as Rascoe to experiment with broad styles and influences to make art that reflected their changing world. During his time at the Chicago Art Institute in the early 1950s, he was exposed to international artistic movements and styles that

facilitated in cultivating a Modernist sensibility which indelibly left a mark on the artist’s work for the rest of his life.

In 2008, Rascoe passed away, leaving behind 60 years of artwork, whose stylistic development over time helps identify when works were created, with certain motifs and ideas revisited throughout his career. While his works range in subject matter and style, there is something uniquely identifiable about his work. He frequently said that he wanted his art to be “the kind of art you’d like to live with.”

In Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art, the exhibition features 25 paintings from the 1940s through 1980s – covering a wide array of style and subject matter, unified by bold use of color, and investigations of compositional structure, with paintings ranging from pure abstraction to a more impressionistic naturalism. Through presenting some of the best remaining works in the artist’s estate, we hope to keep Stephen Rascoe’s art and legacy alive.

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art 

will be on view at Foltz Fine Art from June 1 – July 3, 2024, for more information, please visit FoltzGallery.com.

Youtube Video on Stephen T. Rascoe (produced by the artist's family)

Stephen T. Rascoe: A Life in Art

On View: June 1 – July 3, 2024

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 1st, 4 – 6PM

Herman Lungkwitz (1813-1891), Untitled (Texas Landscape), 1960-1864, oil on canvas, Collection of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

For Love of the Land

four exhibitions celebrating the art of the Texas landscape

Curated by Judy Tedford Deaton

The Grace Museum, February 17 - September 14, 2024

One of the first chroniclers of art in Texas was Abilenian France Battaile Fisk, who wrote in her 1928 publication, A History of Texas Artists and Sculptors,  "...our painters of Texas landscape, with its ever changing moods and rapidly developing country are rendering a great service as with canvas and brush they are faithfully picturing the characteristics of our Lone Star State...." 

For Love of the Land: Painting the Texas Landscape

February 17 - September 14, 2024, main gallery

This exhibition is curated as a visual dialogue focusing on the longstanding tradition of art as an expression of the lore, lure and love of the vast and varied Texas landscape. Paintings by 35 artists who have captured the beauty and majesty of the everchanging landscape in the state dating from the late 19th century through the 21st century, reveal images as distinctive as the individual artists who captured on canvas the changing seasons, native flora, forests, deserts, rivers and mountains they encountered. The works of art remain as a time capsule and tribute to romantic visions of unspoiled places and hope for astute stewardship of the state's natural environment.

Paintings by important Texas artists Jose Arpa, Thomas Allen, Dwight Holmes, Jose Aceves Frank Reaugh, L. O. Griffith, Julian Onderdonk, Edward Eisenlohr, Charles Taylor Bowling, Otis Dozier, William Lester, Everett Spruce, Porfirio Salinas, Dawson Dawson-Watson as well as contemporary landscape painters Dennis Blagg, Lilian Garcia-Roig, and many others will confirm the long tradition of artists' expressing their love of the land as a primary subject expressed over the decades in a variety of media and styles. The rich diversity of ecosystems and natural environments throughout Texas will be explored through the works of art and educational programs.

Bill Wright, Untitled, n.d., gelatin silver print, Courtesy of the artist and The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

Bill Wright's Texas: Luminous Landscapes

March 17- September 21, 2024

Artist Reception: July 11, 2024

 Bill Wright, courtesy of the artists and The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

"Texas is renowned for its diverse and expansive landscapes, showcasing a remarkable array of natural features. From Gulf Coast beaches to stunning western mountain ranges, indigenous peoples' cultural and historical imprints add depth and richness to the region's story. From ranching to astronomy, the natural environment and the current culture of the Texas countryside attract me. All contribute to the diverse tapestry of the land, with parks and preserved areas providing a glimpse into the past. My goal is to use photography to interpret this incredible panorama."  Bill Wright

In the early 20th century, painters continued to embrace the landscape. As photography gained acceptance as an art form, artists used the medium to create interpretations of the land through pictorialist effects and, later, through formal compositions of close-up, cropped views of the landscape. Even though the major artistic movements of the mid-20th century were no longer dominated by the landscape as a subject, the genre's importance continued as artists responded to fears of increased industrialization.

In the second half of the 20th century, the definition of landscape was challenged and pressed to include concepts like urban landscapes, cultural landscapes, industrial landscapes, and landscape architecture. As concerns about our stewardship of the environment and a desire to recapture lost prairie and canyon vistas the popularity of so called pure landscape photography continues to evolve and rise in popularity.

This exhibition by acclaimed photographer and Abilene native, Bill Wright is an extraordinary example of landscape photography that captures the awe and majesty of the Texas landscape ablaze with color, echoing the ancient beauty of natural landforms still responding to the rhythms of the natural world.

The Artistic Legacy of E. M. "Buck" Schiwetz

April 25 - September 21, 2024, 2nd floor gallery

Reception June 6, 2024

Artist Edward “Buck” Muegge Schiwetz (1898-1984) was born in Cuero, Texas on August 24, 1898. After their brief stay in New York, Schiwetz moved back to Houston where he became a partner in what was to become Wilkinson – Schiwetz and Tips, which later became McCann-Erickson. While in Houston, Schiwetz won many awards for his sketches and paintings of Texas buildings, landscapes and oilfields throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He also won the Houston Popular Prize in 1951 – 1952. His work was exhibited throughout the country, including the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the Art Institute of Chicago. Other honors bestowed upon him include his selection as the official state artist of Texas for 1977-1978 and as the artist-in-residence at his Alma Mater, Texas A&M during the school’s centennial celebration in 1976. This retrospective exhibition of the work of Schiwetz is organ

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