George Rodrigue: An American Original Quiz

Answer: Cajun

George Rodrigue is proud to be a Cajun painter from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began painting with the goal of depicting the disappearing Cajun way of life from his childhood.

Answer: Cajun people portrayed against a moody background of oak trees and stylized bayous.

When Rodrigue returned to Louisiana from studying at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, he had an epiphany. He felt compelled to paint the people, customs and way of life of his unique American community before it was gone. The next few decades of his life were committed to painting Cajun folks engaged in traditional activities against the backdrop of the Cajun landscape, moss-covered oak trees, dark moody blue skies and swamp-like lands.

Answer: Jolie Blonde

Jolie Blonde, or My Pretty Blonde, is an old and famous Cajun song. It tells the sad tale of a man whose lovely blonde girlfriend has left him for another man. Rodrigue wanted to give this famous woman a face, and created the first known artistic depiction of her. This painting was very well received in Paris.

Answer: The Loup Garou

The legend of the Loup Garou is an old French legend about a ghostly, werewolf type dog, handed down to French Canadian immigrants and eventually to the Cajuns of Louisiana. Rodrigue calls the legend of the Loup Garou basically a boogeyman story used by Cajun parents to get their children to behave. The "Blue Dog" originally represented the Loup Garou, but as Rodrigue's work evolved, the dog eventually takes the place of all Cajun figures in his work, encompassing them, allowing the artist to move on to express all subjects.

Answer: Paul Prudhomme

Although they grew up within 50 miles of one another, these two Louisiana legends didn't meet each other until adulthood. They became fast friends, and admirers of each other's works and contributions to introducing legitimate Cajun heritage to the world.

Answer: Neiman Marcus

In 1996, Neiman Marcus asked Rodrigue to design a cover for "The Book", their all encompassing catalog. He created a design entitled "Butterflies are Free" using his "Blue Dog" along with hundreds of multi-colored butterflies. In 1998, he was asked again and created, "Hawaiian Blues", and again in 1999 with "The Millennium".

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

In 1986, Rodrigue was commissioned by the Republican Party to paint President Ronald Reagan, and he did so with Reagan atop a proud, white horse. In 1988, Rodrigue took this portrait, as well as a newly created portrait of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to a Moscow summit exhibition. Rodrigue claims that some Russians were unhappy that their president was painted standing rather than also atop of a horse!

Answer: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

Each year, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival comes out with a new, unique poster. In 1995, 1996 and 2000, Rodrigue was commissioned to create the poster, and each featured one of these New Orleans Jazz greats.

Answer: Painted a mural of the "Blue Dog" that covered the entire roof of the Superdome.

As you can imagine, Rodrigue was devastated by watching his beloved New Orleans struggle with the effects of Hurricane Katrina. His charity, "Blue Dog" Relief, donated over $700,000 for hurricane relief.

Answer: All of these

You can visit a George Rodrigue Studio in Carmel, California; Lafayette, Louisiana and of course New Orleans.