Jacques De Du-Glass 1898-1993
Siting it within the state of Indiana, in a series of finely drafted, meticulous, and imaginative drawings Jàcques de Dû-Glass created an imaginary town called Lynxbourgh, which he filled with architectural illustrations and landscapes that blur the line between reality and fiction. Dû-Glass was born James Donald Beatty to a single mother who gave him up for adoption. He was raised by the Douglass family on their farm in the outskirts of Warsaw, Indiana (in Kosciusko County), and did not receive a formal education. As a middle-aged man, after reportedly finding that “Douglass” had French origins, he changed his name to Dû-Glass, creating an alter ego befitting the self-taught artist demiurge, the creator of the parallel reality in his work.
Lynxbourgh is not, however, a site of fantastical events or otherworldly creatures, but resembles and incorporates the environment in which Dû-Glass lived: many buildings illustrated have real counterparts, and there are churches and temples, boulevards, lavish suburban homes with tidy gardens, libraries with American flags, fraternal lodges, homesteads, YMCAs, schools, and metropolitan features. Dû-Glass was particularly interested in the visual motif of architecture and in the history of specific buildings in Indiana, but through his subtle tinkering with reality and denotation, as Joseph Yoakum did with his sprawling, imaginary landscapes (p. 247), Dû-Glass found a way to reaffirm his agency and express his ideals. Lynxbourgh strikes the viewer as a Platonic notion, a highly developed place existing only in the mind’s eye but made fully visible on paper.
In his lifetime, Dû-Glass saw only sporadic success, and his career as an artist was fruitless. He was discharged from many jobs and his insecurity about his sexuality caused his marriage to fail. As is the case of so many self-taught artists, Dû-Glass’s work went on to receive posthumous recognition; exhibitions of his art have been held at Carl Hammer Gallery (Chicago), Lindsay Gallery (Columbus, Ohio), and the Outsider Art Fair (New York), and his work was included in the group exhibition Farfetched: Mad Science, Fringe Architecture and Visionary Engineering, curated by Tom Patterson and Roger Manley at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2013.
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Saint Stephen Parish SchoolLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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American Legion Post and Elks LodgeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Brethren ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Bungalows of the 1930sOland Syler HomeGerrard E. LutesLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Cathedral BLVDNon-Congregational churchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Cathedral of the Holy Angel DivineLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Chamber of CommerceLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Douglas H. Tyson City HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Du-Glass HallLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Eagle LodgeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Ebenezer Corners Church of the BrethrenLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Elkco Prairie School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Ezra and Jeremiah Manndendoal Farm HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Free Methodist ChurchOtterbein ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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German Baptist BrethrenLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Gethsemani Garden TabernacleLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Good Will IndustriesLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Harold & Peggy Harter Home Lynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Harter & Chloe Cooke Family Farm HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Harvey Lee Gohen HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Hiram & Etta Briggs Family HomesteadLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Hobert C. EvansonLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Home of Albert & Rhoda VanderdorneLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Home of Ivan J. WeltyLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Home of Seth StockhomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Jacob & Melinda Flory HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Karo SchoolLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Knights of Columbus LodgeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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La Grange Center Community Grade SchoolLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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La Trudaine R. E. M. C. BuildingLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Lion's Club BuildingShriner's BuildingLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Lynxborough City ColiseumLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Lynxbourgh City LibraryLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Lynxbourgh City Police StationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Main Post Office Lynxborough AreaLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Masonic Lodge Temple BuildingLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Melvin E. Stockhem HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Middleton School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Moose LodgeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Old Russian Orthodox Chapel & CathedralLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Old Town Inn & PubLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Private Chapel of the Donovich Z. Skinor FamilyLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Private Residence of Ivan V. DominickovichLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Private Residence of Tobias BriggsLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Residence of Dr. MorrisLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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River Valley Senior High SchoolLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Rowelyndolffe BuildingLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Ruzen E. Wanggermond Farm HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Saint Angelo Greek Orthodox ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Saint Dionovsius Parish RectoryLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Saint Louis Roman Catholic ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Saint Mary's Catholic ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Sainte Pierre Catholic CathedralLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Scott MillwoodMillwood Telephone ExchangeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Simon D. Wattsworth HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Spear Mint DistillLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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St. Luke's Episcopal ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Stoney Creek School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Stony Point ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Superior Court BuildingLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Swiss Valley ChapelLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Swiss Valley School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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The Church of GodLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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The Metropolis City SkylineLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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The Old Family Homestead of Historic ManorLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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The PennsylvaniaianLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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The Unitarian ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Turkey Runn School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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United Pentecostal ChurchLynxbourgh Wesleyan ChurchUnited Missionary ChurchQuaker Friends Meeting HouseLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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View of the Lynxborough Metro City Sky LineLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Whipporwill Valley First Christian ChurchLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Whiskey Runn School CorporationLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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Wilson F. Brockshire HomeLynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992
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YMCAYWCALynxbourgh, Indiana, c. 1992