Synopses & Reviews
James Castle (1899and#150;1977) never learned to speak, read, or writeand#151;and left his native state of Idaho only onceand#151;and yet he created a wide range of extraordinary works that resonate with much of 20th-century art. This book offers the first critical exploration of the many creative genres of this self-taught artist, who first came to notice in the 1950s and 1960s but has only recently been recognized by major museums.
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Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 full-color reproductions and packaged with an original documentary DVD illuminating fascinating aspects of his life and art, this book examines Castleand#8217;s drawings, color-wash works, idiosyncratic cardboard and paper constructions, and word, sign, and symbol pieces. As a child he developed his favorite medium and method of working, mixing stove soot with saliva and applying this and#147;inkand#8221; with sharpened sticks and cotton wads to such found materials as product packaging and discarded paper. Theseand#160;everyday materials have given his works a singular, immediate, and appealing natural quality.
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This engaging volume considers Castleand#8217;s remarkable art from a variety of perspectives, examining his life, modes of depiction, working methods and materials, and the and#147;visual poetryand#8221; of his text works.
About the Author
Ann Percy is curator of drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.