A Window of Happiness
2001 by George Rodrigue
14×11 inches
Acrylic on linen
Location: New Orleans
Throughout his life, George Rodrigue often quoted the renowned American architect A. Hays Town (1903-2005), who told the young artist, “Treat your painting like a jewel; because if it’s precious to you, others also will see it in this way.” He applied this advice to his earliest and darkest landscapes, and to every painting afterwards.
By the late 1990s Rodrigue’s art was more exciting than ever, as he definitively left behind his somber Cajun subjects in favor of bright, surreal Blue Dog compositions set in ever wilder, more imaginative environments.
This particular jewel, a Rodrigue favorite, found fame within the pages of the book Blue Dog Love (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2001), where Rodrigue stated:
“When Wendy and I were dating, if I was not in California, I was trying to get there. Its landscape and its mood open a window of happiness for me. This new found joy was soon reflected in my paintings.”