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The Art of George Rodrigue
Born and raised in the heart of French Louisiana, artist George Rodrigue (b.1944) is best known for his Blue Dog paintings, which catapulted him to worldwide fame in the mid-1980s. Rodrigue, who began painting in the third grade while bedridden with polio, had already won local acclaim for his rich portrayals of the landscape and people he grew up with when Blue Dog transformed the image of the original Cajun werewolf dog the loup-garou into an international pop icon. This long-overdue retrospective features 265 paintings spanning Rodrigue's 40-year career. With a text by art historian and former ARTnews correspondent Ginger Danto, this is the first outside view and analysis of Rodrigue's paintings in book form. It covers all the distinct phases of his work, showing his development as an artist as his subjects shifted from majestic oak trees to Cajun fishermen and local politicians to the incomparable Blue Dog, whose mesmerizing expression and haunting eyes have captured the hearts of U.S. presidents, Hollywood stars, and ordinary people alike.
- GenresArt
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 10, 2025
My favorite Blue Dog painting is "The Other Brother": https://i0.wp.com/3.bp.blogspot.com/-...
November 8, 2025
Quite a few earlier works that a fan doesn’t usually see and includes many delightful Blue Dog paintings in brilliant colors. Quality is high.
A nice chronology of George Rodrigue’s life at the end of the book.
However, I wish we could give half star ratings as the author’s text was rather pedantic and overly wordy. I recently watched a biography on PBS as to why the artist began painting, but the author made it seem mysterious and unknown. (Mother bought him a paint set when he was suffering from polio to pass the time.)
Well worth the money if you’re a fan, particularly as it’s oversized.
A nice chronology of George Rodrigue’s life at the end of the book.
However, I wish we could give half star ratings as the author’s text was rather pedantic and overly wordy. I recently watched a biography on PBS as to why the artist began painting, but the author made it seem mysterious and unknown. (Mother bought him a paint set when he was suffering from polio to pass the time.)
Well worth the money if you’re a fan, particularly as it’s oversized.
December 31, 2010
64 books of 2010
I don't know much about "art books" but I wanted this for my love of the Blue Dog phenomena. This book covers more than just Rodrigue's Blue Dog period however, containing examples of his first works and even some of his more recent work on Hurricanes. This book contains a few introductions and an afterword by people who seem to have an insider's view of the artist. A small timeline is both interesting and helpful. And the art itself, which dominates this book is aesthetically pleasing and lends itself to many re-reads.
I don't know much about "art books" but I wanted this for my love of the Blue Dog phenomena. This book covers more than just Rodrigue's Blue Dog period however, containing examples of his first works and even some of his more recent work on Hurricanes. This book contains a few introductions and an afterword by people who seem to have an insider's view of the artist. A small timeline is both interesting and helpful. And the art itself, which dominates this book is aesthetically pleasing and lends itself to many re-reads.
September 13, 2012
i make an effort to see george rodrigue's studio on royal st every time i'm down in NOLA. something about those yellow eyes... the bulk of this collection revolves around blue dog, but it also includes rodrigue's portraitures from 1969-1990. so beautiful. i could look at "king oliver's creole jazz band" all day.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews