작품 상세

Earl Hébert (American/Louisiana, 1942-2006), "Courir de Mardi Gras", 1995, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 18 in. x 24 in., framed; together with signed copy of book Zydeco Shoes and signed brochure. Note: Before he was an artist, Earl Hébert was a successful restaurateur and owner of Lafayette’s The Beef & Ale Steakhouse and (the now legendary) Judge Roy Beans Saloon. His artistic endeavors began in the 1970s as he taught himself to paint as a hobby. In the 1980s, an event changed his outlook on art entirely. Hébert took a trip to France and encountered the works of Monet, Gaugin and Matisse. He was so inspired that he vowed to paint fifty works a year for the rest of his life. By 1989, he was exhibiting his art in Jackson Square and working as a full-time artist. It did not take long for him to be recognized and acknowledged as an important chronicler of Louisiana culture. Hébert took cues from the French masters he so admired, employing strong light and primary bright colors to create rambunctious compositions bursting with life. In the painting offered here, “Courir de Mardi Gras” showcases these qualities, as well as the artist’s own delight in the Acadian tradition.