Herman Elzo Hugg (January 19, 1921October 2, 2013) was an American artist, educator, and philosopher. Hugg was primarily a painter, whose works often included

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

, expressionist, and spiritual elements. He also created sculptures in stone and wood, and large-scale works of enamel on recycled metal. He was a longtime-resident of

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

, where he was a teacher at South Park High School and a member of the

Beaumont Art League The Beaumont Art League (BAL) is the oldest non-profit art organization in the Beaumont, Texas, USA, area. The BAL hosts art exhibitions, juried shows, and arts education for adults and children. It also maintains a permanent collection of art and ...

Biography

Early life and education

Hugg was born in

Strawberry, Arkansas Strawberry is a town in Lawrence County, Arkansas, Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 302 at the 2010 census. Geography Strawberry is located in southwestern Lawrence County at (35.964401, -91.315678). According to the U ...

, to Edgar and Telia Massey Hugg. The family moved to the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

when Herman was six years old. He earned an undergraduate degree from

West Texas State University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on S ...

and a master's from Stephen F. Austin State University.

World War II

Hugg served in the United States Navy

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

s 47th Battalion corps of engineers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Beaumont

Philosophy

Exhibitions

The Beaumont Art League hosted a retrospective of Hugg's work in 2009. Six of his pieces were included in the

Art Museum of Southeast Texas The Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET) is an art museum in Beaumont, Texas, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in Nor ...

's show ''Southeast Texas Art: Cross-Currents and Influences 1925-1965'' from January 22 to April 3, 2011.

Selected works

*''Foxhole'' (1947), *''Dear John'' (1945), *''Forsaken Garden'' (1947)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugg, Herman 1921 births 2013 deaths People from Lawrence County, Arkansas People from Beaumont, Texas West Texas A&M University alumni Stephen F. Austin State University alumni United States Navy sailors United States Navy personnel of World War II American artists Artists from Arkansas Artists from Texas Seabees