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Castle, James
| Last Name: | Castle |
|---|---|
| First Name: | James |
| Dates: |
*1899 (Date of Birth)
*1977 (Date of Death)
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| Biography/History: | James Castle was born in Harden Valley, Idaho in1900 and died in Boise, Idaho in 1977. He was born deaf, never leanred to speak, read or write and refused to be taught to communicate in any of the accepted forms of signing. His most eloquent means of expression was in drawing the domestsic interior scenes of his home or the rustic archittecture and pastoral terrain of rural Idaho. Exept for a difficult six- month term at a school for the deaf, Castle spent his entire life within the confines of his family home from which his parents ran the local general store and Post Office. While his family encouraged his artistic endeavors, Castle was isolated from the outside world and did not travel far into it. Perhaps it was this isolation that forced him to become so ingenious an artist. By all accounts, his master of perspective drawing was self-taught from observation and mimicry. A playful inventivenss and independent resourcefulness characterized his work and his choices of media. Using stove soot mixed with his own saliva on the tips of sharpened sticks, Castle devised a unique substitute for graphite or ink to produce his subtly shaded and powerfully linear drawings. From hand-mashed scraps of colored tissue papers, Castle mixed colored paper pulp to produce mysterious works with softly focused forms. Using string, colored papers and bits of plain or printed cardboard, Castle fashioned intricate collage constructions depicting birds and people with the same reverence as doors, books or items of clothing. From packing boxes, Castle built figural totems -- called "friends" by his family -- which populated his environment and appear in his drawings. Information was written by Greg Kucera DATES: 1900-1977 (Lifespan) BIOGRAPHY REMARKS: Born deaf and mute. Did not learn to communicate by standard means. Developed a highly sophisticated visual literacy through his drawings, portraying his external envrionment and the silent world within him. Used cast off materials. Nationally known primative artist. BIRTH LOCATION: Garden Valley, Idaho WORK LOCATION: Garden Valley, ID SPECIALTY: folk art NATIONALITY: American GENDER: male BROADER TERMS: 20th Century Artist; Northwest Artist |
| Related Objects: |
3667.1 (Drawing, Exterior With Road [or Untitled (Road)], ca. 1960)
3667.2 (Drawing, Untitled (House))
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