Raul Castellanos Essay

854 Words4 Pages
Barbara Cruz Sabra Booth ARTS 1301.047 5 December 2013 Research Paper Raul Castellanos I am doing my research paper on 'Post-Apocalyptic Fury of alcoholism and Consumerism An Altar of Martydom, Rebirth, and Process Based Art, 2012' by Raul Castellanos a Mexican Artist born in 1982. This particular piece was done with 1,000's of recycled, and donated objects, then burned down, and resurrected by a special dance and music ritual. The objects are then covered with a metallic pigments and recycled paints. I generally found this piece of art interesting but after reading about the art work itself I've come to appreciate it. Castellanos created this artwork in response to his friends battle with alcoholism. As you see there are many bottles included in the artwork as well as other objects that were sentimental to the ones who had donated them. The process of the artwork embodies a metaphor for birth, death, and rebirth. Birth; the materials are made in a factory, death; once we are done with the materials we toss them or recycle them and when they are recycled they are reborn by melting them down and starting the process all over again. As I have already stated the piece has a medium because it is covered with metallic pigments and recycled paint. The subject matter of this piece is mostly the beer bottles and the other various objects. I guess you can say the form of art is representational because the objects are from the natural world but at the same time abstract because the artwork is painted gold depicting consumerism. When we see gold we think of money, something shiny and new, a look at me display. The implied lines start at the right corner base of the altar and then it kind of groves to the left and curves to the right then to the left again and stops at the top
Open Document