Description
George Rodrigue - Rodrigue: A Man & His Dog, 1993
Silkscreen print
Edition of 90
Size: 23 x 16 inches
Signed lower right, inscribed “Artist Proof” lower left
Lit.: Rodrigue, George and Wendy Wolfe. George Rodrigue Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne, 1970-2007. New York: Abrams, 2008, p. 90
Condition: Some damage and scratches
Unframed
Certificate of Authenticity included
Born and raised in southwest Louisiana, George Rodrigue painted his homeland as he knew it by visually interpreting the landscape and the rich history of the Cajun people. Today, the artist is best known for a series of works depicting the Blue Dog, a motif inspired by the French-Cajun myth of the loup-garou. Rodrigue took the ghost story of the werewolf who is said to prowl the swamps around Louisiana and turned it into an instantly recognizable pop icon placed in a range of settings.
The artist was also a great fan of the motion pictures, the reason his studio doubled as a theatre, where he would spend most nights painting to the backdrop of Turner Classic Movies.
In 1992, the producer and director David DuBois created the film Rodrigue: A Man and His Dog for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, with Whoopi Goldberg giving voice for several characters. The film incorporated the imagery of his most celebrated paintings at the time, following his deceased dog Tiffany, who served as a model for the Blue Dog, searching for his studio in the afterlife. The audience could see Rodrigue’s Cajun and Blue Dog paintings, as well as the early footage from his studio and home in Lafayette Louisiana. The work on offer is a poster Rodrigue created for this unique insight into his practice.
The piece comes in professional, safe packaging. Certificate of Authenticity included.
Collect art in a smart way!
Select our Best Offer option to propose a price. The first bidder to meet the bottom line price wins.
About George Rodrigue
An artist who found great inspiration in his native Louisiana, George Rodrigue is celebrated for his iconic and long-running Blue Dog series of paintings. Drawn from a ghost story of his homeland, the Blue Dog became a ubiquitous motif and one of the most recognizable icons in American contemporary culture.
Expressing a personal relationship with Louisiana and his spiritual and cultural ideas as they pertained to his homeland, George Rodrigue gave meaning to a new phrase: Cajun Artist. Visually interpreting the landscape and the rich history of Cajun people, he painted bayou scenes with Louisiana oak trees, family gatherings in the open and local myths. It was one myth in particular that launched Rodrigue into stardom. The myth of a loup-garou, a werewolf-type dog who lurked in the swamps around Louisiana, gave rise to the acclaimed Blue Dog character. Modeled after his late dog Tiffany, a melancholy blue mutt with yellow eyes allowed the artist to jump from a dark, dreary landscape to a very bright Pop Art, contemporary color palette.
Rodrigue was awarded an Honorable Mention from Le Salon in Paris in 1975, an honorary doctorate at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2009, the Distinguished Eagle Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 2011 and received the Opus award from the Odgen Museum of Southern Art in 2013. In 2009, the artist formed the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, a non-profit organization which advocates the importance of the visual arts in children’s development and supports a variety of art educational programs.
With each of his series, Rodrigues developed a new mode of expression in a contemporary way, but always rooted in Louisiana and it timeless symbols. His works are about life and the humanity searching for answers.
Born in New Iberia, Louisiana in 1944, George Rodrigue had spent the majority of his life in his native country. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer. The value of Rodrigue’s art continues to rise after his death. In April 2015, the Blue Dog painting was sold at the Neal Auction Company of New Orleans for $173,000.