Description:

George Rodrigue
1944-2013
The Yellow Team
oil on canvas
1985, signed lower right, titled and artist stamp on stretcher, 24 in. x 20 in., framed, overall 33 1/2 in. x 29 1/2 in. x 1 1/2 in.; accompanied by signed photograph of the artist and his son with the painting, 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. (2 pcs.)

Exh.: "Rodrigue's Louisiana: Forty Years of Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina", New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, Mar. 1 - June 8, 2008.
Neal Auction Presents: The Art of George Rodrigue with Wendy Rodrigue
George Rodrigue frequently utilized photography as inspiration for his canvases, from his mother's early photograph album and family snapshots to images of his own creatively contrived tableaus designed to serve as models for future paintings. His friends and relatives and even the family pet, Tiffany, often made appearances.

In "The Yellow Team" offered here, the artist's son, Jacques, is depicted with Tiffany, the infamous model for the loup-garou and Blue Dog series. Even though Tiffany had died the year prior to his birth in 1981, Jacques is seen wearing a football helmet and standing in a bayou alongside the dog, both strong shapes locked into the scene by the dark oaks and glowing against the landscape. Completed around 1985, this work ties closely to Rodrigue's earliest use of Tiffany as the model for his loup-garou, first seen just one year prior in "Watchdog" of 1984.

In need of inspiration for an image of the loup-garou, a Cajun legend of a werewolf or ghost dog that lurked in cemeteries and sugar cane fields, Rodrigue followed a familiar pattern by turning to his photo files. Tiffany had been with the Rodrigue family since she was a puppy and was a loyal studio companion for many years to the artist. He had many photographs of her, a number of them at eye-level, and found her strong shape suitable for his purposes. While those early loup-garou images would multiply and eventually metamorphose into the iconic Blue Dog, immortalizing Tiffany's shape, they had little to no connection to her as a pet and more to do with the artist's eye for an engaging, graphic element.

In "The Yellow Team," Tiffany in her original black and white fur makes an appearance, as she would sporadically throughout the artist's career, and this work has more the feel of an imaginary family outing. Regardless of the color of the dog's coat, Rodrigue maintained his careful vision for the elements of his composition, treating each as a puzzle piece against his characteristic landscape. The result is a serious, carefully composed work of art which is simultaneously a charming, sentimental depiction of Rodrigue's modern day Cajun life.

  • Condition: Scattered dust and dirt along bottom; small areas of craquelure in large tree around figure; small, pinpoint loss in small tree at top left branch; frame has scattered fabric pulls and toning to linen; scattered marks, nicks, scuffs and accretions throughout.

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November 22, 2024 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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