Painting New Orleans Blog

There is a massive oak tree, the “Dueling Oak”, tucked away from the street near the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The best way to fully appreciate its size and beauty is to stand under its mighty branches. A tangle of branches twists and turns at jagged angles before gently coming to rest on the ground. To me this is the tree’s elbow, bracing the weight of the trunk like a sprinter poised before a race

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The Dueling Oak of City Park

The Dueling Oak has quite a dramatic history. Hundreds of duels were fought under its branches with knives, pistols and even Bowie knives in the years before the Civil War.  There is a ghoulish sweetness to the stories: US Congressman Emile La Sere fought eighteen duels by this tree— he is said to have carefully bandaged his victim’s wounds and stayed up all night with them as they recovered.  Spaniard Don Jose Llulla, a master of sabre and foil, supposedly maintained a graveyard for the sole purpose of burying his victims, which is kind of a classy thing to do, but also really scary. 

My Painting of the Oak with a desk.

Strange as it may seem to my female readers, there is some evidence to support the idea that camaraderie can emerge between guys after a fight.  In middle school a kid called me a name in the cafeteria and we fought right there.  He chose as his weapon his fists, and I chose as my weapon a crumpled up Doritos bag…. I lost.  Yet  in detention together we struck up a friendship.

"Dueling Oak" 36" x 48" $1,495 Available for Purchase

Getting back to the oak tree, what I like about it is the dramatic contrasts that it embodies, a secluded private space amidst a public park, the gyrating crazy limbs supported by a solid massive core, and the pitched battles fought there  long ago surrounded by nature at its most serene.

I also have medium size prints available with the Dueling Oak for $35 plus shipping.  Here is the link-print

Thanks For Reading!

Adam K. Hall

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