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Portfolios%3D%22575%22%20and%20Sort_Artist%3D%22Castle,%20Wendell%22
Sculpture
Dr. Caligari
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
92 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. (235 x 80 x 67.3 cm)
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overall
Curly cherry veneer, ebony and gold-plated brass
Curly cherry veneer, ebony and gold-plated brass
1984
1984
1984
1900-2000, 20th century, by Rochester artists, clocks, Craft, decorative arts, School for American Craftsmen, sculpture
Sculpture
Dr. Caligari is among a series of thirteen clocks that Wendell Castle created in the 1980s. He made them at the suggestion of his dealer, who urged him to create a body of work that would challenge the critics’ association of Castle with functional furniture. Castle was particularly interested in the concept of time, and Dr. Caligari is a fanciful exploration of time travel. Its tall case is rich with connections to traditional grandfather clocks. It suggests either a trip to the past in an ancient obelisk, or to the future, in a rocket ship.
The title of the work was inspired by the angular set design of the 1920 German Expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The clock’s painted interior was intended to suggest the silent horror film’s unsettling mood. Castle and his longtime associate Don Sottile developed a smearing technique using India ink over gesso that gave the painted finish its distinctive feathered edges.
[Gallery label, summer 2015]
inside left doorinside case
Wendell Castle
1988.1
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
88.1TR1
Transparency
Memorial Art Gallery
Front
2 x 2 3/4
00/00/00
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transparency
open
2 x 2.5
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88.1SL1
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full front-open
2 x 2
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glossy
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negative
2 x 2
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88.1DI1
digital image
Memorial Art Gallery
Front
Imaging complete
2/5/2001
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/88.1_A1.jpg
88.1SL2
slide
full front-closed
2 x 2
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88.1SL3
slide
still from film Dr. Calligari
2 x 2
00/00/00
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881.DI#2
digital image
interior
5/27/2005
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/88.1_I2.jpg
881.DI#3
digital image
interior
5/27/2005
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/88.1_I3.jpg
881.DI#4
digital image
interior
5/27/2005
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/88.1_I4.jpg
88.1DI#2
digital image
6/4/2012
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/88.1_A2.jpg
Sculpture
Library Sculpture
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
89 1/2 x 78 x 64 in. (227.3 x 198.1 x 162.6 cm)
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overall
.2 stool
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overall
.1a desk base
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overall
.3 cushion
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overall
.4 cushion
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overall
.5 cushion
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overall
.1b desk & seats section
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overall
.1c column
Walnut
Walnut
1965
1965
1965
1900-2000, 20th century, by Rochester artists, School for American Craftsmen, sculpture
Sculpture
underside of desk and underside of stool
Wendell Castle
1991.6.1-.5
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
91.6.1-.5SL1
slide
2 x 2
00/00/00
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glossy
8 x 10
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negative
4 x 5
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91.6.1-.5TR1
transparency
full
4 x 5
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91.6.1-.5DI1
digital image
full
4 x 5
00/00/00
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91.6.1-.5DI#2
digital image
full
4 x 5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/91.6.1-.5_A2.jpg
91.6.1-.5DI#3
digital image
8/2/2012
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/91.6.1-.5_A3.jpg
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/R/People/Castle, Wendell/WendellCastle2005_JimVia.tif
Furniture
Two-seat Bench
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
28 5/8 x 54 3/8 x 22 in. (72.7 x 138.1 x 55.9 cm)
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overall
Oak
Oak
1966
1966
1966
School for American Craftsmen
Furniture
The MAG’s benches by Wendell Castle are the rare artworks in the museum that visitors are encouraged to touch. Run your hands along the smooth wood and sit down to contemplate other works nearby or just to rest.
This bench was originally part of a dining room suite commissioned by the Baker family of Rochester. The artist used a technique called stack lamination, in which planks of wood are stacked and glued together, then carved and joined to create the final form.
[Summer 2015]
under seat
Wendell Castle
2002.2
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/27/2002
negative
4 x 5
00/00/00
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glossy
8 x 10
00/00/00
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2002.2 TR1
transparency
full
4 x 5
00/00/00
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2002.2SL1
slide
full
2 x 2
00/00/00
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2002.2DI1
digital image
4 x 5
11/20/2002
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/2002.2_A1.jpg
Furniture
Music Rack
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
Primary
53 1/2 x 26 x 20 in. (135.9 x 66 x 50.8 cm)
Oak
Oak
1964
1964
1964
School for American Craftsmen
Furniture
The elegant tapered lines of Music Rack reflect the influence of renowned Pennsylvania artist-craftsman Wharton Esherick, whose work Castle credits with teaching him “that the making of furniture could be a form of sculpture.” Using bentwood lamination as a technique, Castle was able to create the “gentle, but regular organic curve” of the sculpture, whose central trunk mimics “a supple, bent sapling.”
Music Rack was the first of Castle’s works to receive international attention. Not only was it included in an important design exhibition in Milan, but a review of the show in Time magazine featured a color image of it. All twelve versions of the original edition sold quickly, several to museum collections including the American Craft Museum. This work is now considered one of Castle’s most iconic.
For over forty years the music rack was owned by Temple B’rith Kodesh in Brighton. The congregation offered it for sale to the MAG to ensure that it would be properly taken care of for generations to come.
[Summer 2015]
inner surface of proper right leg, Base and top coat Acryloid B72 in acetone. Laser printed paper label. 9/3/10 M. Simpson, Registrarinitialed, underside, Carved on underside of music holder
2010.7
item
Memorial Art Gallery
4/26/2010
2010.7DI1
digital image
Front
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/2010.7_I1.jpg
2010.7DI2
digital image
Three-quarter
00/00/00
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64.4DI#2
digital image
12/12/2012
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/2010.7_A1.jpg