"Reposo" by Felipe Castaneda

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"Felipe Castañeda (Mexican, b.1933) began his artistic career working at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. During that … Read more "Felipe Castañeda (Mexican, b.1933) began his artistic career working at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. During that time, he became an assistant to the renowned sculptor Francisco Zúñiga (French, 1867–1947), who quickly helped the artist realize his aptitude for sculpting and carving. Castañeda finished his studies in 1963, and by 1970, he was showing his work in exhibitions.

Castañeda experiments with many media in order to master molding clay for his sculptures, preferring to work in marble, onyx, and bronze. The heavy influence of pre-Columbian artifacts is evident in his traditional approach to representing the human form. His stylized depictions of the female body are just one example of his expressive use of the media he works with. Forms of motherhood and fertility evoking an abstract stylized interpretation of sensuality that is universal in its depiction of female beauty. Castaneda transforms his subjects into simple yet noble artistic expressions.

His sculptures have appeared in exhibitions all over the world, including commissioned public sculptures in Mexico and California. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Art History in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico.

Reflecting on his life experience, Castaneda still marvels at the mysteries of an artist’s creation: “I still consider it a kind of miracle that forms almost identical to human beings are born out of rock - and in some cases, the only thing lacking for the to be alive is for them to move of their own accord and speak.” See less