Corrected Timeline of Hogue’s Erosion Series

5/30/2019

Through our blog post series Correcting Hogue’s Legacy, we have examined Alexandre Hogue’s Erosion series paintings in the order they are addressed in the book Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary. Here, we have created a corrected timeline of Hogue’s paintings, placing them in the order they were painted along with their original titles. We hope this overview provides further historical insight into Hogue’s Erosion series.

Drouth Stricken Area 1934

Alexandre Hogue painted Drouth Stricken Area in 1934 as his first painting to show the devastation brought by the drought of the 1930’s. Drouth Stricken Area was widely successful and led Hogue to create his Erosion series of paintings following Drouth Stricken Area. These paintings would later be divided into two categories by Hogue, wind erosion and water erosion. Drouth Stricken Area was Hogue’s first painting on wind erosion.

Wind Erosion was completed in 1935 as Hogue’s second painting on wind erosion.

Drouth Survivors was painted by Hogue in 1936 as his third painting on wind erosion.

Alexandre Hogue completed his painting Erosion in 1937. Erosion was Hogue’s first painting on water erosion in his Erosion series. It is possible Hogue did not know he was going to continue his Erosion series when painting this piece. This is the only Erosion series painting that does not address the recklessness of farmers during the drought. After completing Mother Earth Laid Bare – Erosion No. 2, Hogue retitled this painting Erosion No. 1, making this painting a part of his new series on water erosion.

Alexandre Hogue painted Mother Earth Laid Bare in 1938 as his second painting to show the effects of water erosion during the Dust Bowl.

Alexandre Hogue painted Road to Rhome in 1938 as a reflection and summary of the conditions that led to the Dust Bowl.

The Crucified Land was completed by Alexandre Hogue in 1939 as his third piece on the effects of water erosion during the Dust Bowl.

Alexandre Hogue painted Avalanche by Wind in 1944 to portray the influence of wind erosion on industry. In this painting, sand and dirt have begun to take over the tracks and telephone poles. Hogue explained this painting was not of a present scene but of a scene during the Dust Bowl, when wind erosion was at its worst. During the Dust Bowl, Hogue explained railroad workers had to constantly fight against the sand to keep the tracks clear as workers would fight against snow in a blizzard. In this painting, a black storm in the distance will be approaching the tracks again, renewing the fight between nature and industry.

Soil and Subsoil 1946

Soil and Subsoil was Alexandre Hogue’s final painting in his Erosion series. Hogue completed this painting in 1946 as his final piece on the effects of water erosion. Unlike Hogue’s other paintings in his Erosion series, this piece is tightly cropped in and intimate. Hogue calls the viewer to closely examine the earth and it is if they are the first ones to come across this eroded scene. The water level has fallen dangerously low, exposing the earth to the harsh environment. Through the barbed wire and “posted” sign, Hogue creates irony. The farmer is strict against trespassing yet can not see the real danger against his land.

We are very appreciative of the overwhelming response to our blog post series Correcting Hogue's Legacy. Our next blog posts will be further examining Alexandre Hogue’s personal experiences during the Dust Bowl and his professional career as a teacher and artist.

Russell Tether, President
Katherine Hillman, Associate

Russell Tether Fine Arts Associates, LLC

CORRECTING HOGUE'S LEGACY
CORRECTED TIMELINE OF HOGUE'S EROSION SERIES