MURFREESBORO
— MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery will celebrate the life and work of the late
Professor Emeritus David G. LeDoux with a special weeklong exhibit focusing on
his prolific talent and helping to raise funds for student art scholarships.
“David LeDoux: A Life in Paint” opens Monday, May
23, at 8:30 a.m. and continues through Friday, May 27, at 4:30 p.m. An opening
reception is set May 23 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The free
public exhibit is on display during the Todd Gallery’s regular hours: 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays.
LeDoux, a native Louisianan, taught at MTSU from
1956 until 1994, retiring to continue what would become a 60-plus-year career
in abstract painting at his home studio in Woodbury, Tennessee. He died in May
2010 at age 83 with an exhibition record reaching from galleries in New York
and Indiana to South Carolina and Texas.
His work is included in collections around the
country, including The Tennessee Arts Commission Collection, the Louisiana Arts
Commission Galleries, The Ohio State University Collection and the Hunter
Museum of American Art in nearby Chattanooga.
“David spent 38 years teaching art, and it was such
a huge part of his life,” said his wife, Pat LeDoux. “He wanted his work to be
seen and believed in the importance of education.
“He wanted to give back by donating some of his paintings
to the MTSU Department of Art for scholarships to benefit current students,
which is why we created the David LeDoux Department of Art Scholarship.”
The LeDouxes moved to Cannon County in 1987, and
David LeDoux continued working on what had become a four-series body of work: his
“Black Period” from 1985 to 1990; “Red Period,” 1990-95; the “Violet Period”
from 1995 to 2000; and his concluding “Blue Period,” which began in 2000 and
ended in 2004. He chose to work in periods of color as a way to fully develop
his understanding of a color and the experience it offered the viewer of each
piece.
Over his six decades of artistry, LeDoux created
hundreds of modern abstract paintings, some oil or acrylic on canvas and others
oil on paper. Included in the May 23-27 exhibit is an assortment of work the
couple donated to the university before the professor’s death, along with some
of Pat LeDoux’s favorites — a LeDoux self-portrait, one from his Blue Period,
and 10 paper paintings — to round out the concluding years of his life’s work.
"I am in search of images that are new and
fresh, not familiar or shopworn,” LeDoux said in a commentary preserved at his
website. “A viewer following suit must be ready to deal with 'the new' as well.
To me, making art has been and continues to be a journey, one involving mystery
and discovery.
"The process is improvisational, trusting my
knowledge of how a painting is made, of structure, of color, of evocative
shapes, etc. At a certain point, the work offers something based on the 'moves'
I have so far made. I try to capitalize on that and go further. Then when the
work wants to 'close,' I try to either help or get out of the way or both. At
the end, a little refinement, but not too much.
"In later years, I have thought a lot about
how the painting is painted and about the ineffability of the human experience.
Even in the smallest things."
A special portion of the May 23 reception and exhibit
will be one of LeDoux's final interviews, taped by former student E. K. Waller.
Installation work by this year’s recipient of the David LeDoux Scholarship,
Keisha Lambert, also will be featured alongside the main exhibit.
"David was a man of great talent and a strong
supporter of the department and his students. This exhibit is a way for all to
celebrate his life," said professor Jean Nagy, former chair of the
Department of Art.
LeDoux’s paintings are available for sale via
MTSU’s Department of Art at http://tinyurl.com/LeDouxTribute.
All proceeds benefit student scholarships.
A searchable, printable campus parking map is
available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.
Off-campus guests visiting the exhibit should obtain a special one-day permit
from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.
For more
information about the Todd Art Gallery, including parking and directions, contact
gallery director Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/art.
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