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Jorge Castillo The hidden reality in the paintings of
Jorge Castillo. Color etchings from his
Berlin period About Jorge Castillo's Art Let's discuss the themes of the prints published by Grafos. In 1977, twelve years before moving from Barcelona to New York, Castillo painted an interior scene with the title 'Mesa floreada' (Flowered Table). At the table sat his wife Marienza. One's gaze falls on the room nearby, whose door is open and in which pelicans, snakes and canaries are visible. The only division between the home with its furniture and the primeval power of poetic play and eroticism is a thin wall. Another large-format painting has the title: 'A Table from Galicia'. If you are familiar with Castillo's dramatic biography, you will understand the deeper meaning behind this title. After leading the life of an émigré, this artist also experienced a homeless, simple-minded existence, constantly on the move until 1959 throughout Europe, an existence accompanied by rings around an artistic form. A table could mean as much to him as a home to others, it could be an island or an anchor. It was as if the table called up an opposing image in the explosive world of his paintings, the fantastically complex combinations which characterize Castillo's entire oeuvre. Jorge Castillo wants to bring into his paintings a quietly intimate, bounded private world. Also in 1976, in addition to his minutely observative drawings in the style of New Realism, he painted vibrant watercolors including 'The Caress' or 'Niña en dos perfiles' (Girl in Two Profiles). The innocence is deceiving. Time and again, Castillo's paintings cause commotion and scandals, in Berlin as well as in Almería. Even Castillo's early work was ambitious. He made his first cubist constructions in 1952, with a simple language of signs and dense presentation, sarcastically addressing reality and at the same time characterized by an almost tender, often ironic attitude towards life. To this we can add unexpected, estranging interrelations within a painting and the courage to paint in large format. In 1970, a new realism appears which includes aspects of Classical art. Differing styles of modern art are fused together. At all times, he used drawing as a type of shorthand for momentary and atmospherical impressions. His work is characterized to this day by strong composition and the freedom of a virtuoso in the use of abstraction, representation and narration. Castillo draws and paints, and is at the same time a sculptor. He is a Symbolist and a Surrealist in one. About his Prints What S. Hiekisch-Picard writes is appropriate: 'Graphics were for Castillo a catalyst between his drawings and paintings. From the beginning of the 60's, Jorge Castillo began to take up graphic art in addition to painting and sculpture. Aquatint etchings and lithographs present an intimate aspect of his work. 'I love working with copper, zinc and other metals. I love this technique because it seems to have a will of its own,' Castillo stated. The most renowned printers, publishing houses and galleries have worked with this artist. Castillo's early graphic work falls between 1962 and 1968 (in Madrid, Paris and Boissano, Italy). Antoni Saura became aware of Castillo. One of his first promoters was the gallerist Jan Krugier. His Geneva period (1968-70) was characterized by close collaboration with the director of the Centre Genevois de Gravure contemporaine, Daniel Divorne. Castillo's graphic productivity blossomed anew through this contact, the possibilities became greater and he began working in color etching (Oeuvre Catalogue, Charles Georg, Graphic Work 1971). The Berlin period follows from 1970-75/76. The color etchings offered here by Grafos Verlag were done during this period, a phase of the most mature graphic growth. He still maintains contact with the art historian Werner Haftmann and the publisher Wolf J. Siedler. When he leaves Berlin, his graphic work breaks off for a longer period. Graphic work becomes rare, and painting and sculpture take on a central role. Only in the 90's does Castillo take it up again as an artistic medium. ek |
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