Like the Impressionists, Julian was fascinated with the different times of day, particularly dusk and dawn, and early morning in the Texas Hill Country. In such paintings, he combines Impressionism and Tonalism with his
own special brand of Realism in order to immortalize the land he loved so much by invoking a strong emotional response from the viewer. His own passion for the land of Texas cannot be doubted. He once wrote:
"San Antonio offers an inexhaustible field for the artist. Nowhere else are the
atmospheric effects more varied and more beautiful. One never tires of watching them. Nowhere else is there such a wealth of color.
In the spring, when the wild flowers are in bloom, it is riotous: every tint, every hue, every shade is present in the most lavish profusion, and even in the dead of summer, when one would imagine that any canvas could
only convey the impression of intense heat, the possibilities of the landscape are still beyond comprehension. One has only to see it properly to find that everything glows with a wonderful golden tint which is the
delight and the despair of all who have ever tried to paint it."
Blue Bonnet Field, Early Morning, San Antonio, Texas, 1914, proves beyond doubt Julian had no reason to despair. Much like Claude Monet's haystacks, Julian returns to the same subject at different times. Although both
works are set in the early morning, they are still very different pictures. Blue Bonnet Field was painted on day when there was more moisture in the air so it has the quality of light and atmosphere found in Julian's
most haunting depictions of bluebonnets blanketed in mist. This gives the work a dreamy quality, as if the viewer could step into the painting and be enveloped, transporting them into another world. This hazy effect
is found only in Julian's most exquisite bluebonnet paintings and, despite many attempts, no other artist has been able to replicate it.
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