The River is the Road: Paintings by George Rodrigue
Masur Museum
1400 S Grand Street
Monroe, LA
This phenomenal exhibition returns to Louisiana, on view at the beautiful Masur Museum. This first of its kind exhibition traces 45 years of the river in Rodrigue’s paintings, exploring the unique ways Rodrigue used the river as a reference to his Cajun heritage, and ultimately as a metaphor for the journey of life.
The waterways of Louisiana were the early highways of its inhabitants. We had no roads; we just had the water. They were the natural fairways for commerce, development, and everything necessary for settlers to expand.George Rodrigue
In Rodrigue’s paintings, the roads and rivers blend as one, and are one and the same. Rejecting the spacious sky of traditional European-style paintings, he pushes a large oak to the front of his canvas, cropping the top of the tree so that the light shines in the distance and is small beneath the branches. In hundreds of his paintings, it is a river or road that invites the viewer into Rodrigue’s imaginary world, one that feels like Louisiana, and onto a painted path that leads to a symbolic, hopeful light.
When the Blue Dog enters Rodrigue’s world, his paintings become increasingly more colorful, reflecting changes in his life and outlook. Unlike the black bayous of his Cajun paintings, Rodrigue’s Blue Dog interpretations are surreal in both design and color. Oftentimes the rivers are blue, red, yellow, and abstracted, blending and swirling almost indiscernibly with the land and sky. Ultimately, paintings from the last year of Rodrigue’s life, as featured in this exhibition, ponder his life’s journey as never before, borrowing from the symbolism of his early paintings and the optimism of his later ones. In these intensely personal expressions, Rodrigue once again invites us into his world with a river, this time contemplating not only his life’s journey and artistic legacy, but also, with hope and curiosity, the next part of his adventure.
Events with Wendy Rodrigue
Join Wendy Rodrigue for a tour of The River is the Road: Paintings by George Rodrigue on view through October 19, 2024 at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana. Exhibition organized by the Life & Legacy Foundation.
Upcoming events:
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Rodrigue Family Day Tours with Wendy
Thursday, October 17, 2024
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.,
Reception and Gallery Talk with Wendy Rodrigue at the Masur Museum.
Reception and talk are free to attend for Masur Museum MEMBERS.
All other tickets will be $10 through October 16 and $20 the day of the event and at the door.
Purchase here.
About October 16…
Join Wendy Rodrigue for a personal tour of The River is the Road: Paintings by George Rodrigue. Learn the stories behind Rodrigue’s career, including the surprising way he overcame adversity to discover art and achieve his dreams. Appropriate for children of all ages, Wendy weaves the personal narratives she often shares in schools, while encouraging art analysis and insight from participants. “There are no wrong answers in how we interpret art,” she explains. “Everyone present adds to the experience.”
We will have two timeslots available for the tour with Wendy Rodrigue:
11:00am -12:00pm
1:00pm -2:00pm
The tours are on a first-come first-serve basis, so be sure to arrive at the museum least 15 minutes early on October 16!
These tours are geared towards children. The reception on Thursday, October 17 is the designated event for adults, although children are welcome to attend as well!
For more information, please visit https://www.masurmuseum.org/events/
