Henri Castella (1924-2017) - 22969

Born to a father who was an industrial designer at Berliet and a mother who was a seamstress, Henri Castella did not seem destined for an artistic career, because from 1938 to 1941, he was enrolled at the Sandar agricultural school in Limonest. Once he obtained his diploma, he was hired in 1942 at Rivoire Père et fils, grain producers, rue d'Algérie in Lyon until 1943, the year he enrolled at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. , from which he obtained his diploma in 1946. In 1954, he received the Mediterranean Union Prize for Modern Art, which allowed him to spend a stay in Nice from which he returned with numerous studies and paintings. In the company of Lachièze-Rey and Adilon with whom he became friends, he stayed at the Villa Zoé in Nice, an artists' residence, from 1954 to 1955. In 1954 he made his first participation in the Salon du Sud-Est in Lyon and his first collaboration with the Drouant-David gallery in Paris until 1956. He also participated in the Menton Biennale in 1955. His works were then figurative (they remained so until 1965). They represent familiar subjects, beach scenes, still lifes, some portraits, the sea and landscapes in a thick, structured material, with half-tone colors, of great luminosity. We could then compare Castella's painting to that of his friends Adilon and Lachièze-Rey, while recognizing its share of originality. Material: ripolin on strong paper glued to canvas