Horacio Castaing
Ponce, PR, 1899-1935
Biography Details
Painter. Castaing was a student of Miguel Pou. In 1934 he was appointed director of the School of Drawing and Painting in Ponce, which had been established under the sponsorship of the Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration. One of the artists attending the school was José Antonio Torres Martino. Castaign’s time there was fairly brief, as he died prematurely due to illness. A posthumous exhibit of his work was held in 1936, at the First Independent Exhibit of Puerto Rican Art at the University of Puerto Rico. His paintings consist mainly of portraits of the common man and woman of Puerto Rico, like those of his teacher Miguel Pou.
Artist Statement
His talent, limited by a still imperfect technique, left however, works of undeniable artistic value, beset by a vital quality that makes them stand out, saving them from the photographic. El Muchacho de la carta is, in my opinion, representative of Castaing’s work. His landscape Paisaje cerca de Coamo is an un-common break from nature, simple in its layout, rhythmic, illuminated over the trees.
Source: Meléndez, Concha. "El alma artística de Puerto Rico desvelada en la Primera Exposición
Independiente de Arte Puertorriqueño en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Art in Review: reprints
of material dealing with art exhibitions directed by Walt Dehner & acquisitions in the University of
Puerto Rico, 1929 - 1938 (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico), no. 2 (December 1937): 125- 137.
Formation
Professional Experience
1934
Director. School of Drawing and Painting of Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
1936
- Exposición póstuma de las obras de Castaing, Residence of Castain’s widow, Vidalina N. Castaing, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
1937
- Primera Exposición Independiente de Arte Puertorriqueño, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Catalogues
“Contexto puertorriqueño: del rococó colonial al arte global”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007.
“Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueña, exhibición inaugural del Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico/ Treasures of Puerto Rican Painting, Inaugural Exhibit”, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2001.
Books
Benítez, Marimar. “Colección de Arte Latinoamericano”. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Museo de Arte de Ponce, 1994, p. 58.
Bloch, Peter. “Painting and Sculpture of the Puerto Ricans”. New York: Plus Ultra Inc., 1978, pp. 164, 167, 198.
Delgado, Osiris. “La Gran Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico”. Tomo VIII. Artes Plásticas. Madrid: Ediciones R, 1976, pp. 147-148.
Gaya Nuño, Juan A. “La Pintura Puertorriqueña”. España: Centro de Estudios Sorianos, 1994, p. 103.
Newspapers
“Exhibición póstuma de los cuadros del conocido pintor don Horacio Castaing”. El Imparcial (San Juan, PR), 5 de febrero de 1936, p. 8.
“La Exposición Póstuma de las obras de Castaing”. Puerto Rico Ilustrado (San Juan, PR), 15 de febrero de 1936, p. 41.
“Los cuadros d Horacio Castaing exhibidos en la Universidad de Puerto Rico”. El Mundo (San Juan, PR), 24 de diciembre de 1936, p. 14.
Magazines
Meléndez, Concha. "El alma artística de Puerto Rico desvelada en la Primera Exposición
Independiente de Arte Puertorriqueño en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Art in Review: reprints
of material dealing with art exhibitions directed by Walt Dehner & acquisitions in the University of
Puerto Rico, 1929 - 1938 (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico), no. 2 (December 1937): 125- 137.