Untitled

James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, soot on found paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.14
Copied James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, soot on found paper, 4 34 × 8 34 in. (12.1 × 22.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.14

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
ca. 1931-1977
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
4 34 × 8 34 in. (12.1 × 22.2 cm)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
soot on found paper
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — road
  • Landscape — tree — poplar tree
  • Architecture Exterior — detail — fence
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — shed
Object Number
2016.38.14

Artwork Description

Castle began using art as a means of communicating when he was young, but artworks he made before 1931 went largely unsaved. He drew scenes from his family’s farm in Idaho and the stuff of life such as garments, furniture, and household goods. He also constructed objects—animals, people, or everyday items—from paperboard. Some of his drawings show these small paper figures standing in attendance, as if keeping the artist company.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)