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James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper, 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Driek and Michael Zirinsky in honor of Leslie and Ron Melnick, 2015.28.1
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Untitled
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1931-1977
- Location
- Dimensions
- 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Driek and Michael Zirinsky in honor of Leslie and Ron Melnick
- Mediums Description
- found paper
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Still life — written matter — newspaper
- Still life — trompe l’oeil
- Object Number
- 2015.28.1
Artwork Description
For Castle, spoken and written language presented realms beyond reach. The artist was deaf from birth and, despite some schooling, never became fluent in alternative communications such as lipreading, signing, reading, or writing. Over many decades, Castle made unique arrangements and booklets that stabbed at deciphering texts from the world around him: communiques that prompted conversation for others, but remained, for him, impenetrable.
Although Castle's quest to unlock the secrets of the written word did not prevail, his artworks reveal, uniquely and powerfully, a decoder's approach to understanding the world and the artist's lifelong pursuit of human connection.