September 22

Lamar Dodd’s paintings evoked “Georgia, Georgia, Georgia,” according to one New York art critic.

Born in Fairburn and raised in LaGrange, Dodd studied briefly at LaGrange College and Georgia Tech before attending the Arts Students League in New York City. He studied under Boardman Robinson, American Scene artist Thomas Hart Benton, and George Luks of the Ashcan School.

Dodd headed back south in 1933. He championed local art that favored southern scenes, history, and people. Through a program to put working artists into universities, Dodd became artist–in–residence at the University of Georgia in 1937. That began his lifelong association with UGA. He was art department chair for 35 years, and the art school thrived under his leadership.

In the 1950s, Dodd became a world traveler, and his art soon reflected his new horizons.
He died in 1996, just months after UGA dedicated the Lamar Dodd School of Art. It is one of the largest and most respected in the country. It continues the vision of the most influential Georgia artist of the twentieth century, born on September 22, 1909, Today in Georgia History.