Accession Number
2005/1.261

Title
Dog in Front of Red Doghouse

Artist(s)
Eddie Arning

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1969-1975

Medium & Support
oil pastel on paper

Dimensions
19 in x 25 5/16 in (48.26 cm x 64.29 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Cohen Family Fund

Subject matter
Eddie Arning is a self-taught artist. He began his artistic career while in the State Hospital in Austin, Texas where he was being treated for various mental health concerns, including schizophrenia. A care worker brought him drawing materials and his artistic endeavors began. Many of Arning's works reflect his childhood memories of growing up on a farm in Germania, Texas. These works, such as Dog in Front of Red Doghouse, often included depictions of animals and the use of large geometric shapes and patterns. The method of working all the way to the edge of the paper and including a drawn picture frame are also characteristic elements of most of Arning's work.

Physical Description
This oil pastel drawing has a thick black border drawn around the entire scene, with a slightly thinner brown border inside. In the center of the scene is a red building with three horizontal yellow stripes on the roof and a brown door with the word "Pepper" written in yellow above the door. There is a white fence on either side of the building. A dog drawn in beige and brown is in front of the building to the right, floating slightly above the ground. The ground and the sky in the background are both colored blue, with darker "s" shapes throughout.  

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
Canis (genus)
doghouses
self-taught artists