Untitled

James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, soot, color of unknown origin, wheat paste, and string on found paper, 11 123 12 in. (29.28.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.10

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
ca. 1931-1977
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
11 123 12 in. (29.28.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
soot, color of unknown origin, wheat paste, and string on found paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure — full length
Object Number
2013.27.10

Artwork Description

Idaho native James Castle recorded personal views of his home ground between roughly 1910 and 1970. His drawings, predominantly done with a homemade soot-based ink on found paper and cardboard, depict farm scenes and the surrounding countryside with a remarkable stillness. Castle also constructed small objects--doll-like figures, birds, and other household items--using sewn-together cardboard. Castle lived with family his entire life, but deafness and an inability to communicate with writing or signing fated him to a lifetime of silent introspection and observation. Castle's art was his personal language, and his paper sculptures, perspectival views of his surrounding landscape, and depictions of himself making art, speak volumes about a self-defined realm.

Works by this artist (2 items)

Lorrie Goulet, Atlantis, 1990, black Belgian marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2014.35.1, © 1990, Lorrie Goulet
Atlantis
Date1990
black Belgian marble
On view
Lorrie Goulet, Silence, 1970, oak, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2014.35.2, © 1970, Lorrie Goulet
Silence
Date1970
oak
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
Lapstrake I
Date1980
Georgia gray granite
Not on view
John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
Chandelle
Date1969, revised 2013
Lucite
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
Untitled (Shell)
Dateearly 1930s
mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
Not on view
Emery Blagdon, Untitled (Individual element from The Healing Machine), ca. 1955-1986, wire, copper wire, tin foil, paper tape, and plastic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.15.7
Untitled (Individual element from The Healing Machine)
Dateca. 1955-1986
wire, copper wire, tin foil, paper tape, and plastic
On view