Rodrigue: The Sanders Collection

Texan art collector Don Sanders shares his impressive trove of work by the late Louisiana painter George Rodrigue, the creator of the Blue Dog paintings, in this hefty, four-color celebration. The Cajun-born Rodrigue (1944%E2%80%932013) discovered art while stricken with polio as a child. In adulthood he became an interpreter of Cajun lore, using mythical figures%E2%80%94such as Jolie Blonde%E2%80%94as subjects for his paintings, portraying them against a Rousseau-esque forest backdrop. Yet it is the cocked ear and vivid colors of the cartoonish pup that brought him fame in the art world and captured the fancy of Sanders, a passionate animal lover and founder of a no-kill animal shelter in Houston. The monograph charts the relationship between artist and patron, which began in 1998 when they met in a gallery in California. Grateful for Sanders's support, Rodrigue compared the generosity of his benefactor to that of the Medicis and praised his zeal as a great patron. The book, which features a variety of the Blue Dog portraits along with Rodrigue's lesser-known work, will delight his longtime followers. Illus. (Apr.)