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Portfolios%3D%22506%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)
.
.
.
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
00/00/00
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88.1SL1
slide
full front-open
2 x 2
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glossy
8x10
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4x5
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negative
2 x 2
00/00/00
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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
00/00/00
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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)
.
.
.
overall
.2 stool
.
.
.
overall
.1a desk base
.
.
.
overall
.3 cushion
.
.
.
overall
.4 cushion
.
.
.
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
00/00/00
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91.6.1-.5DI1
digital image
full
4 x 5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/91.6.1-.5_A1.jpg
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
Blanket Chest
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
36 1/2 x 32 x 21 in. (92.7 x 81.3 x 53.3 cm)
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.
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Cherry
Cherry
1963
1963
1963
1900-2000, art with Rochester connections, furniture, School for American Craftsmen
Furniture
Blanket Chest is now considered among Castle's early masterpieces. Not only is it one of the first major works to use stack lamination, it also stakes its claim equally as sculpture and furniture. The central form is carved from two blocks of laminated cherry, hollowed out to serve as a storage container. (The lid opens to reveal an ample cradle-like cavity.) The piece is also compelling as sculpture, with its distinctive pod shape and its plant-inspired handle, appearing to grow out of its half-domed base.
Speaking in 2004 about this piece, Castle explained that the base began as a square, which he modified as the piece evolved. Although bases are easy for visitors to overlook - often requiring a change in position from standing to crouching - they are critical to the support and the overall aesthetics. About the significance of bases, particularly of tables and desk, Castle once explained, "I kind of like the thing underneath the most. I was interested in…getting the base out from under the table and making the whole thing a piece of sculpture."
[Gallery label text]
initialed, Proper left side, on pedestal
Wendell Castle
1965.21
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
65.21TR1
transparency
4 x 5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
65.21SL1
slide
full - closed
2 x 2
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
glossy
front
8 x 10
00/00/00
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glossy
front- open
8 x 10
00/00/00
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negative
front
8 x 10
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negative
front
4 x 5
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65.21SL2
slide
full - open
2x2
00/00/00
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65.21DI1
digital image
4 x 5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/65.21_A1.jpg
65.21DI#2
digital image
open
2x2
4/1/2015
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/65.21_A2.jpg
65.21DI#3
digital image
closed
4/1/2015
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/65.21_A3.jpg
digital image
Top
5/19/2004
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/65.21_I5.jpg
digital image
Front
5/19/2004
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/65.21_I2.jpg
digital image
Side
5/19/2004
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/65.21_I3.jpg
digital image
Handle
5/19/2004
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/65.21_I4.jpg
Furniture
Suggestion Box
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
41 1/2 x 28 1/2 x 29 in. (105.4 x 72.4 x 73.7 cm)
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.
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Walnut
Walnut
1972
1972
1972
20th century, by Rochester artists, School for American Craftsmen, sculpture
Furniture
Visitors to the Memorial Art Gallery have been using this suggestion box for over thirty years, depositing comments in the oval slot on the top, which are read and acted upon regularly. In addition to having a place to leave messages, Suggestion Box is also a favorite stop on many Gallery tours. At last, a piece visitors are allowed to touch! Visual appreciation of the polished surfaces and the sleek animal-like leg can be reinforced tacitly by running hands over the entire piece.
[Gallery label text]
artist's intitials, Near bottom of base, proper left
Wendell Castle
1972.64
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
negative
full
1 x 1
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
72.64aDI1
digital image
full
1 x 1
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/72.64a_A2.jpg
72.64aDI2
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/72.64a_A1.jpg
72.64aDI#3
digital image
open
9/20/2013
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/72.64a_A3.jpg
72.64DI#4
digital image
9/23/2013
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/72.64a_A4.jpg
Drawing
Drawing for Suggestion Box
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
17 x 14 in. (43.2 x 35.6 cm)
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.
.
Graphite
Graphite
1972
1972
1972
20th century, by Rochester artists, preparatory drawing, School for American Craftsmen
Drawing
Wendell Castle
1972.64b
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
72.64bDI1
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/72.64b_A1.jpg
Sculpture
Table with Tablecloth
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
32 1/2 x 23 x 21 3/4 in. (82.6 x 58.4 x 55.2 cm)
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.
.
Mahogany
Mahogany
1978
1978
1978
School for American Craftsmen
Sculpture
Wendell Castle’s art delights and surprises us, and this example is no exception. As if made for a topsy-turvy world, the stick-figure chair stands on a tromp-l’oeil (French for “fool the eye”) pillow that seems to be soft and filled with feathers. At the same time, we can see the wood’s grain and joints and know that it is a hard surface.
Wendell Castle is an internationally acclaimed artist who is based in nearby Scottsville, New York. In his more than fifty-year career, he has continued to explore the possibilities inherent in the medium of wood, and to expand the conceptual realities that can be expressed with it.
[Summer 2015]
underside
Wendell Castle
1978.58
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
glossy
8 x 10
00/00/00
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negative
4 x 5
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
78.58DI1
digital image
8 x 10
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A1.jpg
78.58DI2
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A2.jpg
78.58DI3
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A3.jpg
78.58DI4
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A4.jpg
78.58DI#6
digital image
7/16/2015
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A6.jpg
78.58DI#5
digital image
7/16/2015
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/78.58_A5.jpg
Sculpture
Icarus
Wendell Castle, (Emporia, KS, 1932 - 2018, Scottsville, NY)
Castle, Wendell
United States
1932 - 2018
Male
74 x 65 x 38 in. (188 x 165.1 x 96.5 cm)
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.
.
Figure
Oak
Oak
1962
1962
1962
School for American Craftsmen
Sculpture
Figure's proper left side, on base, near end
Wendell Castle
1999.27
item
Memorial Art Gallery
10/15/1999
99.27TR1
transparency
2.5 x 3
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
99.27SL1
slide
2 x 2
00/00/00
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glossy
8x10
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negative
3x2
00/00/00
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99.27DI1
digital image
2.5 x 3
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/99.27_A1.jpg
99.27DI#2
digital image
8/13/2013
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/99.27_A2.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
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/Inventory pictures/2010.7_I2.jpg
64.4DI#2
digital image
12/12/2012
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/2010.7_A1.jpg