José Castiella | Falling

Initially the canvas is laid on the floor as Castiella pours on the paint before placing the work on the wall and waiting for the paint to begin its mysterious journey in a totally autonomous way. Each individual work is, for the artist, a voyage of discovery as his own contribution is intrinsically related to the effect of the paint as it travels down the surface of the canvas. Castiella’s interventions change continu- ously as the painting achieves new unforeseen forms.

The artist presents us with a total world view which, on occasions, is terrifying and yet on others wins us over with its macabre humour. Bosch’s blackness is tempered by Castiella’s interest in Japanese mythology and the figures of Yōkai, spirits which can be malevolent but also mischievous, friendly or even helpful to humans.

The ‘coffee’ drawings provide a fascinating glimpse into the spontaneity in Castiella’s working method utilising both a more concise form as well as the medium of water colour which allows him even less possibility to exert his desire to control. Looking at a series of these works shows the line that ties them to Goya’s ‘Disaster of War’ etchings although, as with his paintings, black humour tempers the more purely black and tragic works of Castiella’s monumental predecessor.