Jordan Casteel's Galen 2, 2014. Courtesy of Jordan Casteel
My artist of choice for this blog post is not only an incredibly talented artist I admire, but also someone I had the immense fortune to learn from, who mentored and challenged me in my own craft, someone kind and dedicated to her art and her students, someone who carries a mission of changing lives, and the distortion of society in her creations. Jordan Casteel, or as I have always referred to as Professor Casteel, is a young artist born in 1989, in Denver, Colorado. Jordan Casteel is known for her large scale art works (they are humongous as I have experienced some of them in person) depicting the beauty of black communities in their most organic, intimate, familiar state and spaces, which she captures with her camera and embellish them through the use of oil paints, and customized scale canvases. Although she was primarily known for painting black male figures only, she has expanded her subject of work and successfully achieved great recognition in the art community, thus reaching her message to people of diverse colors, sex and races.
As a female artist producing art work mostly dedicated to men, she faced many critics. Fighting the patriarchy, Casteel questioned why men have the right to be painting naked women for centuries, while women are brutalized for painting the male body. However, Casteel protests the hypersexualization of black men by never painting their genitalia. Instead, she paints them in their most vulnerable, pure, loving, and caring form. Coming from a family of kind, and strong black men (she also has a twin brother) Casteel feels as black men are often marginalized, and therefore uses her divine given gift to portray the beautiful souls of black men, and now children and women as well.
"Little Gamer", oil on canvas, 2019
As a female artist producing art work mostly dedicated to men, she faced many critics. Fighting the patriarchy, Casteel questioned why men have the right to be painting naked women for centuries, while women are brutalized for painting the male body. However, Casteel protests the hypersexualization of black men by never painting their genitalia. Instead, she paints them in their most vulnerable, pure, loving, and caring form. Coming from a family of kind, and strong black men (she also has a twin brother) Casteel feels as black men are often marginalized, and therefore uses her divine given gift to portray the beautiful souls of black men, and now children and women as well.
Link for additional info: https://nyc.moma.org/jordan-casteel-ab8c0fd26d9d
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