Roadway Perspective Landscape, date unknown
soot on cardboard

Today we went to the art museum and saw a James Castle exhibit. Lillie was in a bit of a rush (I guess because we had all lingered too long when we came last time to see the Degas exhibit), so I did not stop to read the information on him, we just looked at all the pieces.


Untitled (2 figures w/brown structure)
Soot, spit and colored pulp on found paper

His work was really fascinating, and while reminiscent of the Dada and Fluxus movements (and other artists like Paul Klee, Joseph Beuys, and Mark Rothko), his artwork was extremely original and very moving. Had I known his personal story, I would have been more impressed.


Untitled (4 figures in blue)
colored pulp on found paper

James Castle was born deaf. He never learned to speak, read, or write. He did not learn sign language, but created his own sign language. Castle was born in 1900 and died in 1977. He lived in relative isolation with his family in Idaho.



His art is Outsider Art, but it isn't merely eccentric. There is a real heart and beauty to his drawings done on found scraps of paper, discarded cardboard, and old letters. He used soot mixed with spit for shading, food boxes to create books, and twine, cardboard, and scraps of paper to create collages, birds, chairs, and other objects.


Untitled, 1900's
Paper, soot, color-printed cardboard

The texture of the found paper, the tears and rough edges, the flattened boxes, all add a depth, texture, and fragile quality to his work. Had Castle not been self-taught, had his work been naive in a more deliberate and self-conscious way, it would still be brilliant and touching.



His story makes his art that much more interesting, and dear. It could have been stored away in an attic in Garden Valley, it could have been tossed. I am glad that I had a chance to glimpse in on James Castle's silent and beautiful world.