PBS documentary delves into the life of artist George Rodrigue

It’s another day in New Orleans for Jacques Rodrigue.

He’s getting Rodrigue Studios ready to open for the day — as he has done for many years.

“I grew up in the studio,” Rodrigue says. “I used to help my father as he was working. Now, it’s my job to continue his legacy.”

Rodrigue is talking about his father, George Rodrigue, who is the focus of the documentary, “Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue.” The documentary is currently streaming on the PBS app through July 30. Beginning in August, it will be available to stream via the PBS Passport.

The documentary, directed by Sean O’Malley, follows the life of George Rodrigue as he played an integral role in elevating Cajun tradition and folklore across the world through his paintings.

Rodrigue, who died in 2013, is regarded as one of Louisiana’s most important artists.

O’Malley says he wanted audiences to see the film as a tribute to Rodrigue’s enduring impact on Louisiana.

“His story as an artist is layered and deeply inspiring,” O’Malley says. “From his majestic oak trees and evocative Cajun portraits to the iconic ‘Blue Dog,’ his masterworks weave an extraordinary narrative and serve as a powerful testament to his perseverance and the deep impact he and his art have had on so many lives.”

George Rodrigue was born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana, and became known for his “Blue Dog” series, which brought him worldwide fame in the early 1990s. By the early 2000s, he evolved into an American pop art icon.

While the “Blue Dog” series captures the whimsy, his effort during the early part of his career was focused on Cajun culture and heritage — which was dying out in Louisiana at the time.

His formal art instruction began in 1962 at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, followed by California’s Art Center College of Design — then housed in Los Angeles.

By 1968, he returned to Louisiana and told the history of the Cajuns through his paintings like “Aioli Dinner” and “Jolie Blonde.”

He sold his pieces across America, visiting small towns. His travels led to him befriending restaurateurs and other business people, who then shared his art with clients.

Jacques Rodrigue says his life has been dedicated to preserving his father’s legacy in the art world.

“It’s a family business,” he says. “His life was art and since Dad passed away, I’ve been archiving and digitizing his works to make a documentary film. It was the perfect opportunity because the filmmakers who had conducted Dad’s last interview came around to do a new one, and we had opened up the whole archive to them.”

Jacques Rodrigue says there are 3,500 of his father’s paintings that he’s aware of, and those have been archived and digitized.

He says being able to take part in the documentary was a blessing because it’s an avenue to get his father’s story out to more people.

“There was so much thought that not only went into the documentary, but Dad’s work,” he says. “You look back at it now and it was obvious that no one was talking about Cajun and Louisiana landscape and art. Everyone locally thought he wasn’t a real artist. University professors panned him. When ‘Blue Dog’ came into his life, he was questioned about it. Dad was always true to his vision, as he created based on what he knew.”

Jacques Rodrigue says he and his father were best friends, and the plan was always for him to work in the family business.

He recalls growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, where the family lived on the first floor and the second floor was the art gallery. The third floor was his dad’s studio.

“I’ve been around clients and collectors all my life,” he says. “There’s footage of me when I was 3-years-old and pulling prints as he was signing them.”

Jacques Rodrigue often traveled with his father to the West Coast, which meant stops in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

“Dad had partnerships in galleries around Santa Fe,” he says. “We would trace Route 66 as every family trip was built around something with art. Dad was good friends with Rosalea Murphy from the Pink Adobe. The area has so many memories for me, and my dad was also inspired by Santa Fe and New Mexico.”

PBS documentary delves into the life of artist George Rodrigue