Existing comment:
Self-Portrait with Spanish Cap
Federico Castellon, 1914-1921
Federico Castellon here depicts himself against a coastal landscape reminiscent of his native southern Spain, where he had gone for a visit in the early 1930s, after having been away since his childhood. Following that memorable visit, Castellon studied art and exhibited in Spain and France before fleeing Europe in 1936 to avoid conscription in the Spanish Civil War. By portraying himself in a Loyalist soldier's hat, this self-portrayal suggests his anguish over both the war and the United States's refusal to intervene in it. There is a keen sense in the portrait of longing, with its sensuous yet unavailable female figure, fetishistic shoe, and suggestive imagery. All of these elements attest to the influence of the Surrealists, with whom Castellon exhibited in Paris in 1935. Upon returning to America, Castellon had his second solo exhibition at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City. This print was one of his first lithographs, created when he began to gain critical and financial success.
1937 |