Cool Head, Warm Feet

To Rodrigue, the Blue Dog was different in every painting. Even with deceptively simple designs such as Cool Head, Warm Feet, he faced a myriad of decisions regarding style and meaning. The slightest change in color or placement shifted the choices again, so that each painting became an artistic puzzle to be solved. Central to these decisions, for example, was the Blue Dog’s eyes. Rodrigue explained:

“Without variation in shape, one would think these round saucer eyes would cause a static expression. But this is not the case. The other elements in the dog’s face become very important. In changing those elements, even slightly, in relationship to each other, the dog’s expression varies. In fact, the Blue Dog paintings show a wide variety of interpretations, which is unexpected when one considers the basic premise. And it’s certainly unexpected if a person has seen only one image.”