In 1921, Hogue moved to New York City to work at various advertising firms with calligraphy assignments and to study in museums.
He has been quoted as saying that he did not do any painting during this time to avoid the inevitable shift in personal style that comes with the analysis of other works.
[3] Hogue is associated with the Dallas Nine, a group that painted, drew, sculpted, and printed pieces influenced by the Southwestern United States.
In contrast with the Impressionist or Abstract art styles, the Dallas Nine created realistic pieces according to their surroundings in the Southwest.
The Dallas Nine movement ended with the beginning of the Abstract Expressionism style that gained further popularity after World War II.
Occasionally, Hogue is labeled as a Regionalist; he struggled with the idea of a Texan identity, like many other citizens of the state.
[citation needed] As before, Hogue believed the destroyed state of the land was the fault of the human inhabitants.
The tractor was a key instrument of land destruction that Hogue believed led to the Dust Bowl and its effects.
This is a clear statement by Hogue concerning the social context: we have caused the loss of life and we can never return it to its fertility.
[8] In Hogue's 1934 painting Drouth Stricken Area, line, texture, and balance all allude to his views on the ecological environment of the 1930s.
In the foreground, the soil has a dry, cracked texture, clearly showing the lack of moisture in the ground.
The lack of any defining marks from the middle to the background create a desolate, empty and barren space.
Lea Rossen DeLong argues that the single windmill on the horizon line in the distance makes the space look even more empty and barren.
Compared to photography of this time, Hogue's painting instead instills anger towards humans instead of empathy for their unfortunate situation.
By exaggerating the vast landscape, starving livestock and skyscraper windmill, Hogue is forcing people to consider the reality that he sees.