A blue dog with pointy ears and bright yellow eyes means a lot more to Louisiana culture than some people may think.
George Rodrigue, artist of the famous “Blue Dog” paintings, visited the University on Thursday to speak to students, faculty members and guests about his personal impact on the state’s artistic culture.
Rodrigue is a native of New Iberia, La., and prides himself in being one of the original Cajun artists.
“When I started painting Cajun paintings, no one knew what Cajun was,” Rodrigue said.
The original of Rodrigue’s most recognizable painting features a blue dog with eerie eyes on a shadowy background. The painting is not meant to be simply an oddly colored canine, though.
Rodrigue first painted the Blue Dog in 1984 for a book of Louisiana ghost stories.
The dog was meant to portray the “loup-garou,” a werewolf-dog from French legends, Rodrigue said.
As a child, Rodrigue’s parents used to tell him the story of the loup-garou who lived in the cane fields around Louisiana and came out under a full moon to eat children who misbehaved.
The painting started out as a normal dog with a blue moon in the background. But Rodrigue said as the picture progressed, the dog became blue because of the eerie shadow cast by the full moon.
Rodrigue has painted several varieties of the Blue Dog by adding new backgrounds and colors. He has painted the dog wearing a cowboy hat, sitting with other dogs of different colors and wearing a tuxedo while standing next to a woman.
His Blue Dog projects include several children’s books, such as “Why is Blue Dog Blue?,” “Blue Dog Christmas” and “Blue Dog Love.”
Although the painting has developed into a series, Rodrigue said the picture has not lost its original feeling.
“The dog is sitting there asking questions about life,” Rodrigue said. “The dog is looking at us for answers, and we’re looking at the dog for answers.”
Despite the time he has spent on different Blue Dog paintings, Rodrigue also has worked on other projects.
His current project is a series titled “Hurricanes,” paintings inspired by Isidore and Lili, the two storms that hit Louisiana in fall 2002.
Rodrigue was in New Iberia for the hurricanes and watched as an ancient oak tree crashed to the ground. He said the devastation and destruction inspired his work.
The abstract hurricane paintings feature large multicolored swirls with brightly painted backgrounds.
Rodrigue’s son, Jacque, is a general business administration senior at the University.
“It’s cool to know other people are seeing what I’ve seen all my life,” Jacque said. He said he remembered watching his father paint late at night when he was growing up.
Rodrigue’s visit was part of the Student Government-sponsored Celebrate Louisiana Week.