Untitled (Interior with figure and seven “friend” constructions)

James Castle

not dated

Soot, soot wash, and color of unknown origin on ruled notebook paper

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Castle’s figurative constructions—dubbed “friends” by family members—were an important part of his sculptural practice. Besides fashioning these figures, he frequently depicted them as subjects in other works, such as those seen in this drawing. Set within a nondescript interior, the friends vary in size, shape, and color, and are accompanied by a more conventional representation of an individual at the far left of the composition. Despite their out-of-scale proportions within the setting, Castle likely based the drawn figures on existing constructions. This curious practice of using images of his constructions as subjects in his dr