Ben Earl Looney
Encyclopedia
Ben Earl Looney was a Louisiana
artist
and author
known for his Water Colors of Dixie and Cajun Country, pen and ink sketches of Acadiana
.
Looney was born in the Yellow Pine community, located south of Sibley
, Louisiana, to Julian A. Looney (1871–1958) and the former Mollie McKinney (1872–1932). The community was so named because the original buildings were all constructed in yellow pine
timber. Julian and Mollie Looney shared a July 17 birthday but one year apart.
Ben Earl Looney graduated in 1923 from Minden High School
, in Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish
, where he was known as "Earl". His artistic talent was already apparent, as he was the art editor of the yearbook
staff. One of his classmates was Leland G. Mims
, a 1921 graduate who was later a small businessman in Minden and a veteran member and president of the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing council.
Looney thereafter attended the Louisiana State University
School of Journalism
in Baton Rouge, Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
in Shreveport, the Corcoran Art School in Washington, D.C.
, and the Summer School of Arts in Eastport, Maine
. He studied watercolor under George Ennis
.
Looney launched his art career in his studio in Minden. In 1935, he moved to Baton Rouge to become the first head of the LSU art department. Over the years, he taught art in Sarasota, Florida
, in a school-museum financed by the John Ringling
circus
family. There Looney taught Frank T. Norman
, the mayor
of Minden from 1958 to 1966, who became the first student to register at the new Ringling School of Art. Looney taught painting in New York City
for nine years. He also taught art in Weston
, Massachusetts
; Bremerton
, Washington; and Greensboro
, North Carolina
. He spent his last years in Lafayette
, Louisiana, the showcase for his Cajun works.
Looney derived subject matter from forty-five of the fifty states plus Canada
and Mexico
. Ford Times, an in-house organ of the Ford Motor Company
, published some forty-five of his paintings and articles. Another Looney painting is in the magazine of the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
Though Looney's published work was watercolor, most of his artistic talent was applied to oil or acrylic
and is in private family collections. One of his popular oil paintings is Downtown Baton Rouge, 1920. Looney painted many plantation houses in Louisiana between 1940 and 1970 He painted large oil murals for various dignitaries and clients, including the Ford Motor Company
.
Other works included the following: Beau Sejour, watercolors of Louisiana plantation
houses; Drawings of the Vieux Carre, about New Orleans and the French Quarter
, with captions in English
and French
; Cajun Vignettes, short stories and poems; Looney Plants Grow Wild, paintings and satirical horticultural definitions.
Looney was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Julian L. Looney (1894–1958), and a brother-in-law, Robert D. Moseley (1894–1972). His father and brother died the same year. Survivors included two sisters, Eula Looney Moseley (1896–1986), the widow of Robert Moseley, and Lucille Looney Miller (1898–1994), wife of Ray Winn Miller, Sr. (1899–1981). Looney died two months before the passing of brother-in-law Ray Miller. All the Looneys are buried in the Minden Cemetery
except for Ben Looney himself, who donated his remains to the LSU School of Medicine. Looney never married.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known for his Water Colors of Dixie and Cajun Country, pen and ink sketches of Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
.
Looney was born in the Yellow Pine community, located south of Sibley
Sibley, Louisiana
Sibley is a town in south Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, Louisiana, to Julian A. Looney (1871–1958) and the former Mollie McKinney (1872–1932). The community was so named because the original buildings were all constructed in yellow pine
Southern Yellow Pine
Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...
timber. Julian and Mollie Looney shared a July 17 birthday but one year apart.
Ben Earl Looney graduated in 1923 from Minden High School
Minden High School (Minden, Louisiana)
Minden High School is the public secondary educational institution in Minden, a small city of 13,000 and the seat of Webster Parish located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana...
, in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
, where he was known as "Earl". His artistic talent was already apparent, as he was the art editor of the yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
staff. One of his classmates was Leland G. Mims
Leland G. Mims
Leland Garland Mims was a Minden, Louisiana, businessman and civic leader who served as a member of the Webster Parish Police Jury from 1953–1976 and as president of the body from 1956-1973...
, a 1921 graduate who was later a small businessman in Minden and a veteran member and president of the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing council.
Looney thereafter attended the Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
School of Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
in Baton Rouge, Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
in Shreveport, the Corcoran Art School in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and the Summer School of Arts in Eastport, Maine
Eastport, Maine
Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2000 census. The principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway...
. He studied watercolor under George Ennis
George Ennis
Alderman George Ennis is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.He is a former Democratic Unionist Party politician first elected to Ards in 1993 and was Mayor of Ards in 1998-1999....
.
Looney launched his art career in his studio in Minden. In 1935, he moved to Baton Rouge to become the first head of the LSU art department. Over the years, he taught art in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, in a school-museum financed by the John Ringling
John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling now is the most well-known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today.-Early circus life:John was...
circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
family. There Looney taught Frank T. Norman
Frank T. Norman
Francis Toadvin Norman, known as Frank T. Norman , was a Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1958-1966. From 1952-1958, Norman had served on the Minden City Council as the then public safety commissioner under the since disbanded...
, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Minden from 1958 to 1966, who became the first student to register at the new Ringling School of Art. Looney taught painting in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for nine years. He also taught art in Weston
Weston, Massachusetts
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, Washington; and Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He spent his last years in Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, Louisiana, the showcase for his Cajun works.
Looney derived subject matter from forty-five of the fifty states plus Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Ford Times, an in-house organ of the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, published some forty-five of his paintings and articles. Another Looney painting is in the magazine of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Though Looney's published work was watercolor, most of his artistic talent was applied to oil or acrylic
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
and is in private family collections. One of his popular oil paintings is Downtown Baton Rouge, 1920. Looney painted many plantation houses in Louisiana between 1940 and 1970 He painted large oil murals for various dignitaries and clients, including the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
.
Other works included the following: Beau Sejour, watercolors of Louisiana plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
houses; Drawings of the Vieux Carre, about New Orleans and the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
, with captions in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
; Cajun Vignettes, short stories and poems; Looney Plants Grow Wild, paintings and satirical horticultural definitions.
Looney was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Julian L. Looney (1894–1958), and a brother-in-law, Robert D. Moseley (1894–1972). His father and brother died the same year. Survivors included two sisters, Eula Looney Moseley (1896–1986), the widow of Robert Moseley, and Lucille Looney Miller (1898–1994), wife of Ray Winn Miller, Sr. (1899–1981). Looney died two months before the passing of brother-in-law Ray Miller. All the Looneys are buried in the Minden Cemetery
Minden Cemetery
The Minden Cemetery, located in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States, has graves dating from 1843, seven years after the founding of the city in 1836...
except for Ben Looney himself, who donated his remains to the LSU School of Medicine. Looney never married.