Louisiana Two-Step 30” x 30”, oil on panel by David Horton
Nothing in a David Horton painting is there by accident. The fantastical creatures that inhabit the Baton Rouge artist’s glowing worlds are there to contribute meaning to his satirical conversations about the conditions of life. “Originally, I called this painting “Louisiana Mis-step,” explained Horton. “It is an indictment of the Louisiana education system as handled by politicians. The alligator represents politicians seducing Louisiana into believing that it has a good system—which it doesn’t. The woman is the people of Louisiana. Outside the window, boats flee the state, since we no longer have the protection of a good education system. The rabbit, holding the apple of teaching, represents a slight insanity, and the fish flopping on the floor represents the futility of freedom of choice.”
Born in New York, but a Louisianan since childhood, Horton retired in 2014 after a long career as a professor of art at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. “I’ve always painted satirical subjects,” noted Horton, “but this is one of the first aimed directly at what’s going on in Louisiana from a policy perspective.” David Horton is a member of Baton Rouge Gallery and will contribute pieces to the gallery’s Kinetics auction this December. On October 3, Horton will be featured on Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s Art Rocks program hosted by Country Roads publisher James Fox-Smith.
See more work at davidhortonart.com.
