Federico Castellon

Spanish/American
(1914–1971)

Untitled
1942

Lithograph
16 x 20 in.
Museum Purchase with the Charter Member Endowment Fund
1986.25

Early White settlers and Indigenous populations had very different relationships with cacti. Already struggling to adapt to new geographies, the cacti's obstinate nature impeded settlers from using the plant in the ways of Indigenous peoples. To many tribes in the Southwest region, cacti were an important source of food and incorporated into religious rituals. For Castellón, who was born in Spain and spent much of his life on the East Coast of the US, cacti represented the stark beauty and rugged heartiness of desert species.

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This object has the following keywords:

• cactus
• landscape
• natural landscapes - Designates land and water areas where human effects, if present, are not ecologically significant to the area as a whole. Use to contrast with "cultural landscapes," areas which are significantly altered or modified by human actions.
• nature
• prints - Pictorial works produced by transferring images by means of a matrix such as a plate, block, or screen, using any of various printing processes. When emphasizing the individual printed image, use "impressions." Avoid the controversial expression "original prints," except in reference to discussions of the expression's use. If prints are neither "reproductive prints" nor "popular prints," use the simple term "prints." With regard to photographs, prefer "photographic prints"; for types of reproductions of technical drawings and documents, see terms found under "reprographic copies."

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• ART 3230: Lithography , 1/7/2020 - 6/13/2020
• SC Fall 24 - National Hispanic Heritage Month , 8/30/2024 - 12/30/2024

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