Side By Side
2013 by George Rodrigue
Approximate size, 20 x 24 inches
Acrylic on linen
Signed by the artist
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Created towards the end of his life, Side by Side shows how George Rodrigue’s artistic ideas progressed throughout his career. The painting depicts two Blue Dogs framed by flowers set against a background of painterly brushstrokes in warm pink, red, yellow, and orange hues. The dogs are done in two different shades of blue, which reminds the viewer that when we say the phrase “blue dog,” we are not referring to one single shade of blue and that since Rodrigue began painting the dog in 1984, he’s made use of all manner of the color blue for his canine creation. Relatedly, Rodrigue has included flowers in his work since his early paintings of the Jolie Blonde and Evangeline figures beginning in the 1970s, but here, the flowers take on a more graphic, almost abstract appearance. These flowers call to mind Donald Sultan’s poppies or Andy Warhol’s hibiscuses and demonstrate Rodrigue’s connection to the pop art movement. Finally, the work’s background, with its visible brushstrokes and saturated colors, shows Rodrigue’s commitment to painting as an artistic practice.