Overview
When Cajun artist George Rodrigue began his series of Blue Dog paintings in 1984, he had no idea that they would consume the greater part of his life for over two decades, and that the mysterious Blue Dog—inspired by his studio dog–turned-model, Tiffany, and the Cajun loup-garou folk legend—would become a wildly popular international icon as well. Blue Dog Speaks is the first book to prominently emphasize Rodrigue’s painting titles, one of the most important elements in the creation of a Blue Dog painting, alongside the works. Rodrigue uses Blue Dog painting titles to provide insight—whether humorous or nostalgic or sad—into the human condition.
In an introduction, Rodrigue reveals how an idea that originated in childhood tales has now grown far beyond; his Blue Dogs have moved beyond Louisiana into formerly uncharted territory and now express larger concepts about contemporary life. His newer titles—such as Right Place Wrong Time and Tiffany Remembers the ’70s—along with other, more abstract ones such as All by Myself with My Happiness capture this shift in style and content.
But most of all, there are the paintings themselves, magnificently displayed, their titles inviting us to ask “What is this dog all about?” and “What is the artist trying to say?” Even though the definitive answers remain a mystery, the titles provide a clue…
Synopsis
When Cajun artist George Rodrigue began his series of Blue Dog paintings in 1984, he had no idea that they would consume the greater part of his life for over two decades, and that the mysterious Blue Dog—inspired by his studio dog–turned-model, Tiffany, and the Cajun loup-garou folk legend—would become a wildly popular international icon as well. Blue Dog Speaks is the first book to prominently emphasize Rodrigue’s painting titles, one of the most important elements in the creation of a Blue Dog painting, alongside the works. Rodrigue uses Blue Dog painting titles to provide insight—whether humorous or nostalgic or sad—into the human condition.
In an introduction, Rodrigue reveals how an idea that originated in childhood tales has now grown far beyond; his Blue Dogs have moved beyond Louisiana into formerly uncharted territory and now express larger concepts about contemporary life. His newer titles—such as Right Place Wrong Time and Tiffany Remembers the ’70s—along with other, more abstract ones such as All by Myself with My Happiness capture this shift in style and content.
But most of all, there are the paintings themselves, magnificently displayed, their titles inviting us to ask “What is this dog all about?” and “What is the artist trying to say?” Even though the definitive answers remain a mystery, the titles provide a clue…
Kraig Binkowski - Library Journal
Rodrigue is an unapologetic Cajun artist who became known in the mid-1980s for painting his Blue Dog within distinctly American scenes. Blue Dog has been appearing in his paintings since then, which translates into literally hundreds of Blue Dog paintings, each with a sitting bright blue dog staring meekly at the viewer with sad, yellow eyes. The Blue Dog has become part pop icon and part marketing success, with no fewer than five books devoted to the enigmatic pooch since 1994. This latest includes almost 250 paintings that here share the limelight with their stylized titles. Although jointly reading like a puzzling children's book, the individual paintings are nevertheless quite fresh and timely. There is an alphabetical index to the paintings, but aside from a short introduction, there are no other essays or an artist biography to place the works within a larger context. While the Blue Dog paintings are quite popular, this book lacks the bibliographic elements that would make it interesting to specialized collections. Recommended for public libraries.
Editorials
Library Journal
Rodrigue is an unapologetic Cajun artist who became known in the mid-1980s for painting his Blue Dog within distinctly American scenes. Blue Dog has been appearing in his paintings since then, which translates into literally hundreds of Blue Dog paintings, each with a sitting bright blue dog staring meekly at the viewer with sad, yellow eyes. The Blue Dog has become part pop icon and part marketing success, with no fewer than five books devoted to the enigmatic pooch since 1994. This latest includes almost 250 paintings that here share the limelight with their stylized titles. Although jointly reading like a puzzling children's book, the individual paintings are nevertheless quite fresh and timely. There is an alphabetical index to the paintings, but aside from a short introduction, there are no other essays or an artist biography to place the works within a larger context. While the Blue Dog paintings are quite popular, this book lacks the bibliographic elements that would make it interesting to specialized collections. Recommended for public libraries.
—Kraig Binkowski