{"id":13,"date":"2019-06-07T12:55:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T19:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999953146"},"modified":"2019-10-15T11:55:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T18:55:59","slug":"vincent-castiglias-art-isnt-for-the-faint-of-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/vincent-castiglias-art-isnt-for-the-faint-of-heart","title":{"rendered":"Vincent Castiglia\u2019s art isn\u2019t for the faint of heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the tortured, decaying human figures depicted in Vincent Castiglia\u2019s paintings aren\u2019t enough to elicit some kind of emotional response, knowing the artist\u2019s preferred medium at one point pumped through his veins just might do the trick.<\/p>\n

For the past 20 years, the Brooklyn-born painter and distinguished tattoo artist has made a name for himself in the world of dark, macabre art creating large-scale paintings made in large part with his own blood.<\/p>\n

Using a fluid similar to the viscosity of watercolor paint, Castiglia combines his blood\u2014extracted intravenously\u2014with water to create the rusty-colored medium. His illustrations, self-described as \u201cfigurative surrealist\u201d are monochromatic sepia-toned tableaus of gaunt, ghostly and disfigured humans, portrayed in varying stages of decomposition. His works utilize a multitude of religious iconography and symbolism\u2014both Christian and Pagan\u2014that have captivated the attention of occult art collectors, listeners of heavy metal music and just about anyone who enjoys gazing at some weird art.<\/p>\n

His work has drawn attention from prominent names in the heavy metal music scene, most notably, Slayer guitarist Gary Holt, who commissioned Castiglia in 2016 to paint his guitar using both Holt\u2019s and Castiglia\u2019s blood, the late Gregg Allman was an avid fan of Castiglia\u2019s artwork, and purchased several of his paintings, and comedian Margaret Cho commissioned the artist to paint with her blood mixed into the piece.<\/p>\n

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Vincent Castiglia holding the Slayer guitar Gary Holt commissioned in 2016. Castiglia combined both his and Holt’s blood to paint the image of Lucifer on the face of the guitar. Photo by Nathaniel Shannon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Castiglia\u2019s career catapulted into the global spotlight in 2008 after garnering the attention of H.R. Giger, the renowned Swiss artist responsible for the creature designs in the Alien <\/i>films. Since his solo exhibition at the H.R. Giger Museum in Gruy\u00e8res, Switzerland\u2014the first-ever invitation of its kind\u2014Castiglia\u2019s art has been showcased in galleries all over the world.<\/p>\n

And now, he\u2019s coming to Long Beach.<\/p>\n

His latest exhibition, \u201cAutopsy of the Soul\u201d opens Saturday, June 8, at The Dark Art Emporium in the East Village. The collection will feature some 25 of his works\u2014new and retrospective\u2014and will be open to the public through July 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at Vincent\u2019s work is very cathartic,\u201d Jeremy Schott, owner and curator of The Dark Art Emporium, said. \u201cEach piece is a meditation on the cycle of life and death, light and dark, exemplifying that we cannot have one without the other. Through his imagery, we are reminded that while we are only here for a short time, death may not be the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

One doesn\u2019t need to have an obsession with the morbid and macabre to appreciate the nuance of Castiglia\u2019s art. His paintings are exceptionally detailed, filled with tiny brushstrokes that create the delicate shades, patterns and depth that make his subjects both ghastly and hauntingly poetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people will see that he\u2019s not a gimmick by any means but a modern master,\u201d Schott said. \u201cThe anatomical accuracy in his work is reminiscent of Da Vinci with the surrealistic sensibilities of Dali.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jeremy Schott speaking on Castiglia’s “Beauty and Truth (Not Forgotten)”: “To me, this piece is the embodiment of what I love in Vincent’s works. Covering the gamut of topics that he touches on so often like love, death, extra spiritual yearning.” Photo courtesy of the Dark Art Emporium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Castiglia began using blood in his art in 2000, shortly before he began working as a tattoo artist. At first his use of blood began as accent colors in his pen and ink work. Over time, his own blood became the medium the artist says he works with exclusively, except for commissioned pieces wherein he may mix the client\u2019s blood with his own.<\/p>\n

It took nearly a decade for Castiglia to fine tune his method. He began by extracting small amounts of blood by cutting himself with diabetic lancets and letting the blood into a spoon, painting quickly from there to avoid coagulation. Traces of this crude method can be seen in blood clots found in some of his early works. Today, he collects his blood intravenously, with the help of a registered nurse. Each session she draws 15-18 3ml-sized vials at a time. He keeps the blood, mixed with an anticoagulant, in his refrigerator for later use.<\/p>\n

To create around the five consistencies ideal for him to paint with, he then mixes his treated blood with water. The lightest mixtures use just a few drops of blood. The most opaque consistencies he uses for his darks are made up almost entirely of his blood. The darkest passages in his work are also due to the natural decomposition of his blood drying in the open air, which is, in part, why his pieces can take up to several months to complete.<\/p>\n