Description:

George Rodrigue (American/Louisiana, 1944-2013) , "A Night on Blue Bayou", 1990, oil on linen, signed lower right, signed, titled, dated and inscribed "Blue Dog Series #5" en verso, 24 in. x 18 in., framed. Provenance: The Rodrigue Gallery, New Orleans, LA, May 17, 1990. Ill.: Danto, Ginger. The Art of George Rodrigue. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2003, p. 108.

  • Notes: In the early 1990s, George Rodrigue designed a billboard for I-10 at Henderson, Louisiana, where he had a studio behind Landry’s Restaurant from the late 1980s to around 1994. In the process of developing his idea for the sign, he experimented with what he coined an “out of the picture” style. In addition to the billboard, Rodrigue created a handful of easel paintings in this same manner. This period was a particularly exciting one in the early development of the Blue Dog series, as Rodrigue was exploring the meaning of his, shortly thereafter internationally famous, image and where it could take him on his canvases. In this work, Rodrigue frames the landscape within a painted cream border, creating a picture within a picture, with edges he then disrupts with a three-quarter view of the Blue Dog, a swirling moon and a tree. He adds dimensionality and depth with the addition of each component. In this case, further visual interest derives from the apparent contradiction in the essential flatness of the Blue Dog breaking the picture plane into the illusion of three-dimensional space—a modern take on classic trompe l’oeil. The artist’s early training in hard-edged painting with crisply defined shapes and contours is clearly displayed and contrasts beautifully against the expressionistic brushstrokes and blended colors of his blue bayou. In the place of his familiar oak, Rodrigue includes a rare depiction of a cypress tree, likely desiring a strong vertical counterpart to the other compositional elements, rather than having an interest in the tree itself as an alluring shape or symbol. This work is a remarkably unique example within the Blue Dog series, melding aspects from multiple sources of inspiration and yielding something entirely new and captivating.
  • Condition: If Condition is NOT stated in the description of the lot, the absence of a condition report does not indicate the lot is free of damage or condition issues. Available Condition Reports will appear as an additional image. Condition Reports and photographs may be requested on items until the Wednesday prior to the auction. Bid accordingly. All sales are final, no returns are accepted on the basis of condition.

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November 19, 2022 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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