I wrote several weeks back about coming across artists whose work is so striking but whose names never become well known, at least on a national or international level. I originally wrote about Paul Sample, an American Regionalist of the early part of the 20th century and my admiration for his work.
Recently, I came across a name in Western Perspectives, the blog from Lovett’s Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They mentioned a show appearing the Alexandre Hogue Gallery at the University of Tulsa. I didn’t know the name so I quickly googled it and was surprised and delighted at the results.
Alexandre Hogue was another American Regionalist painter from the 1930’s who eventually ended up as the head of the art department at the U. of Tulsa. He died in 1994.
Like Sample, I immediately connected with Hogue’s color palette and use of deep, saturated tones. His landscapes of Dust Bowl-era middle America had a sense of message that was strong and served up in images that were powerful while still being attractive. I have never seen Hogue’s work in person so I can’t talk about his surfaces or the painterly quality of the work but his work is, as I said, very striking in print and online. There’s something gratifying about finding the work of a Hogue or a Sample, painters who will never be the flavor of the month but have distinct and powerful voices in their painting.
Good stuff…
Redtree Times 