George Rodrigue (American/Louisiana, 1944-2013), "Louisiana Oaks", 1971, oil on canvas, signed lower left, signed and dated en verso, signed, dated and artist stamps on stretcher, 9 in. x 12 in., framed, overall 15 3/4 in. x 18 3/4 in. x 1 5/8 in. Provenance: Acquired from the artist; Private Collection, FL. Note: Returning to Louisiana from studies at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles in 1967, George Rodrigue worked to refine his unique vision of his home state. Combining his recent studies in school with his reflections on past artistic interpretations of the Louisiana landscape, Rodrigue spent 1968 to 1971 focusing on the bayous of Acadiana. The very early works included elements such as small figures or cabins. However, Rodrigue quickly dropped these components in favor of focusing on the oak tree, a graphic element that became a hallmark for the artist. The painting offered here from 1971 has a rich surface that depicts a landscape clearly both familiar and beloved by the artist. Saturated in rich, dark colors, Rodrigue’s bayou is a carefully arranged composition dominated by the silhouetted oak tree in the background and the diagonal dark river or coulee in the foreground. This canvas and others from the period are significant windows into the development of a series of works that would define Louisiana landscape painting in the late twentieth century.

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