Medium
Castiglia’s use of only blood and water on paper as well the technique by which it is applied to his canvases achieves more tonal range and textural possibilities than the rusty sepia one associates with blood stains. He has discovered ways to control this unique pigment to realize the requirements of his inspiration. His skillful handling of this iron rich pigment is a significant component, as is his personal vision and disciplined rendering of his subject matter. The viewer is not only allowed to see into the figure, but also through it, into a deeper psychological world.
| “ | I sought the most direct and personal connection with my work, one that could not lie or be reproduced. Although the paintings are often thematic, they are also quite visceral, and I believe it is because of this that the response has been so strong. The creative process is very honest and cathartic for me, and is an intermingling of feelings and experiences, aspirations and visions, all spontaneously congealing on the canvas. | ” |
The first colors used by man were red, iron oxide (hematite, a form of red ochre) and black. The word hematite, the source of many iron oxide pigments, is derived from the Greek word, "hema", meaning blood, and because of its symbolic and spiritual significance, early man coveted this color.
For centuries, bloodletting has been used to treat physical and psychological illness, in the belief that wellness would be restored with the balance of the humors. In the privacy of his studio, Castiglia practices a modern-day phlebotomy of sorts which parallels the motives of the ancients, siphoning the life force which contains his own psychic energy, while giving it an outlet and form. In doing so, he dissolves the barrier between artist and art in a most literal and immediate sense.
Blood is technically considered to be a tissue. It is made up of approximately 55% blood plasma, a yellowish clear fluid, which is 90% water by volume. Castiglia’s figures, their musculature and skin, are painted with what could be thought of as “liquid flesh”. Its tendency to quicken the subjects is likely inapproachable by any other medium---as it is actual tissue with which it is being rendered. In this way the painting's realism (visual arts) is not merely an optical illusion due to its level of detail, but rather is an actual transference of flesh and blood to each work.
| “ | As soon as we begin to exist as organic matter, our material state begins seeking a return to the first state from which it came, on several levels, through life processes. Our particles seem borrowed, as if only for a moment in the breadth of eternity. Our bodies appear, soak up and contain the vital fluid of existence, to give it shape and form, only then to relinquish this substance as to “ring out” the life force from a worn out “flesh-suit” back into the void. As I see it, blood is a sacred creative agent, and through its use in my work I feel that I am connecting on the most direct level with the essence of life. | ” |
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