It has been three and a half years, almost to the day, since the last blog post about Alexandre Hogue, but I didn’t know that when I was looking at some of the pictures we have of his artwork. I recognized him because of the campus art gallery bears his name and discovered his work through the collection of his art and papers that we have in the department. Hogue’s work has been exhibited across the country as well as internationally (see here and here for a few examples) and today I’m sharing a few of my favorites.
Spindletop 1901
I love expressive paintings like these two! There are so many things to focus on and a thousand stories in a single image. He captures the essence of business in Texas (where he grew up) and Oklahoma really well; not only does he capture it, I think he critiques the economic, ecological, and social impacts of that business fairly well, too.
Oilman’s Christmas Tree
Cover Image, Frank J. Dobie’s Flavor of Texas
This little gem sums up Texas so well! I love that it was the cover image of Frank J. Dobie’s book. Hogue painted a portrait of Dobie as well.
McFarlin Library, University of Tulsa 54/55
Alexandre Hogue was head of TU’s Art Department from 1945-1963 and during his time here, he drew this little picture of our very own McFarlin Library. I have loved this building from the moment I arrived on campus and I think he portrayed it perfectly. Even though the building has changed dramatically since his depiction, its very essence remains unchanged.
Hogue also illustrated the American war effort and I found a few of these especially intriguing.
The Crucible of Public Opinion
Just like Spindletop 1901, I love how much this picture provides so much to ponder. While he was referencing the Italian press of the 1930s, this image’s timeless nature resonates just as well here and now as it did when he created it.
Nightmare of a Heel Trembling in His Boot
Hogue illustrated the might of the Allied forces against Axis powers by taking aim (figuratively) at Italy’s Benito Mussolini in the work Nightmare of a Heel Trembling in His Boot.
Liberators
This work in particular surely bolstered Americans’ support of the war effort through its powerful imagery of liberation and peace framed around America.
If you’d like to see Alexandre Hogue’s work or one of the many other collections we hold, please contact us at speccoll@utulsa.edu for arrangements. We are currently open only to TU students, faculty, and staff by appointments made at least 24 hours in advance. You are also welcome to browse our Catalog and Digital Collections and request photocopies or digital scans of materials through the same email. Kelsey and I fulfill requests as quickly as possible, but especially large requests or a high volume of requests may take us up to 4-6 weeks. We are happy to help you as best we can and we hope that you stay safe and healthy!