Henri Joseph Castaing, Virgin And Child With A Musician Angel, 1910, Pastel On Paper

Henri Joseph CASTAING 
(Pau 1860 - 1918)
Virgin and Child with an Angel
1910
pastel on paper
35 x 58 cm ; 43 x 65 cm (framed)
signed and dated ‘J Castaing - 1910’ lower right
in its original frame, under an antique glass
paper slightly isolated and very light material on the sheet

Selective bibliography:
Bénézit, Paris, Ernest Gründ Editeur

Notable museum :
Brooklyn Museum, New York City 

To find out more:
Henri Castaing's work, imbued with Catholic faith and classicism, escaped the academicism of his time while remaining far removed from avant-garde modernism. His training began in 1881-83 with Victor Venat in Pau, before he spent two years in Italy studying composition at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome with Brushi and Sciuti. He then enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he worked with William Laparra, Léon Bonnat and Benjamin Constant.
He then divided his time between teaching and creating a variety of works, ranging from the religious to the secular. His talent is particularly evident in his religious compositions, which can be seen in some twenty churches and chapels, notably the 1895 series for the chapel of the Collège Notre-Dame in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, acclaimed by Eugène Carrière and Maurice Denis.
Our drawing, Virgin and Child with a Musician Angel, bears witness to Joseph Castaing's mastery of sacred art. This work illustrates his poetic and serene symbolism, celebrating a simple and sincere faith. With particular sensitivity, Castaing offers here an emotional and deeply human composition, rooted in his attachment to the Catholic faith and family values.