Description:

George Rodrigue
American/Louisiana, 1944-2013
"Only the Lonely"
oil on linen
1989, signed lower left, signed and dated en verso, signed and titled on stretcher, "Cyprian Gallery, Lafayette, LA" stamp on reverse of frame, 24 1/2 in. x 38 1/2 in., framed, 33 1/2 in. x 47 1/2 in. x 2 in.

Neal Auction Presents: The Art of George Rodrigue with Wendy Rodrigue

Note: With a background in formal art training from The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena which he attended from 1962 to 1967, George Rodrigue painted nudes occasionally throughout the 1970s and 1980s as part of his Cajun series, inspired by Roman sculpture and the drawings of the Old Masters. These works were generally not well-received by his conservative collectors; however, he continued to include figure studies and nudes in his paintings even as he developed the Blue Dog series in the early 1990s. His Blue Dog canvases that recreated famous classical nudes by artists such as Ingres and Manet from 1991 are ironically now among the most popular of his creations.

Rodrigue abandoned the nude figure almost entirely for a decade once he was forced due to health concerns to transition from oil to fast-drying acrylic paints in the early 1990s, as he was not able to capture the female form as he liked with the new medium. "Only the Lonely" offered here and dated 1989 therefore represents a rare, early example of Rodrigue's Blue Dog series just as it was emerging from the loup-garou legend, combining the rich Acadiana landscape of his Cajun series with his love for the classical figure and the soon to be iconic image of the Blue Dog. Given the more developed nature of the Blue Dog, one suspects that the artist may have in fact added it to the scene later, in late 1991 or early 1992, making her "lonely" no more. The blonde figure is artfully draped in white and highlighted against the dark oak tree and foliage in timeless Rodrigue fashion and gazes down at the Blue Dog, whose enigmatic expression is asking the viewer: "Why am I here?" and "Where did I come from?" – questions that likely resonated creatively with the artist as he explored this new direction in his work.

Ref.: Rodrigue, Wendy. "The Nude Figure." Musings of an Artist's Wife. Life & Legacy Foundation & Art Tour. www.legacyarttour.org. Accessed Oct. 12, 2024; Rodrigue, Wendy. "Blue Dog: In the Beginning, 1984-1989." Musings of an Artist's Wife. Life & Legacy Foundation & Art Tour. www.legacyarttour.org. Accessed Oct. 12, 2024.

  • Condition: No signs of past restoration; some darker colors fluoresce under UV light but appear to be hand of the artist; scattered small areas of craquelure pattern visible, particularly in darker areas of tree and ground; light surface dirt and dust; toning of the varnish layer; frame has scattered marks and abrasions.

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September 12, 2025 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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