[3][4] In 1904, Nuderscher first attracted the attention of the fine arts community with his painting of the Eads Bridge which won first prize in the Artist's Guild Competition.

Bixby, a nationally recognized art patron and philanthropist, purchased the work for his own collection and encouraged the young artist.

The Eads Bridge would become a repeated theme for Nuderscher and his future Granite Building studio at Fourth and Market Streets in downtown St. Louis would look out over the iconic structure.

Nuderscher painted structures without sharply defined outlines and his tonalistic style conveyed the smoky air, filtered sun, and misty haze of the industrial city.

[8] Sometime after 1910, Nuderscher discovered that his ability to paint the subtleties of the urban atmosphere lent itself to depicting the hazy air, fog, and light that was characteristic of the hills and valleys of the Ozark Mountains.

[12] By the early 1920s, Nuderscher's reputation as a painter earned him high-profile mural projects such as the commission to paint a lunette in the Missouri State Capitol.

Completed in 1922, The Artery of Trade (originally titled The Great Crossing) is a favorite of capitol visitors because of the optical illusion of the bridge moving as the viewer walks past.

He remained in high demand as a muralist, particularly in Missouri, where he created works in banks, schools, museums, and in private place mansions.

[16] According to art historian William H. Gerdts, Nuderscher "was the most significant Impressionist painter to spend his whole career in Missouri.