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About Daniel Castan

New York city is by far the favorite theme of the artist. In his elegant compositions, the geometric shapes of the buildings echo one another, a dramatic sky adds a focal point to the otherwise orderly views or a clear sky sends a message of emptyness.

His warm, dark and contrasted palette sets the tone of the paintings, and emphasizes the sometimes brooding and sometimed highly energic atmosphere of the city. An outstanding series of works by this talented international artist.
F. Clinvaux - Paris

«For Daniel Castan, the topic is a secondary consideration. He concentrates on laying on the paint, on material structure, on imagination and action. He summarizes his procedure in a few words: ‘’I paint, and the subject matter follows.’’ In another apparent paradox, the artist who claims that he cannot stand cities paints New York in a striking manner. A fantasmatic New-York, that of the seventies detective novels, of the American dream, in which all and sundry can project themselves, where lines, graphic details and perspectives are the reason for painting.
 
The same applies to cars and to light. There is little space for human beings – a small crowd here or there, but more often than not only as background. On closer investigation, Daniel Castan stands on the border of abstract art. He doesn’t deny it: ‘’At the beginning there was too much detail. Increasingly, I delete, I weed out. I shall certainly end up in abstraction’’. New York suits him. A town of movement and speed, as he too paints in movement and speed. An instinctual painter, he attacks the canvas directly with his knife, after – sometimes – putting in place a few perspectives. He states that he does not think while painting, working his colors directly on the canvas in a
continuous gesture. ‘’A town is like a landscape, sometimes dark, sometimes colorful. There is no recipe and I do not feel restrained; color calls to color’’.

encountered by pedestrians, by the famous yellow cabs, by the street, with a faraway horizon carrying a point of light and an impression of forward flight. The choice of format also plays a role in creating an atmosphere.
Sometimes he works in tall vertical formats, reinforcing the feeling of oppression between overpowering towers. Or, conversely, he spreads horizontally; welcome to the wide avenues, welcome to aptly named Broadway …
 
For Daniel Castan, to paint is to act, and act fast. Choosing to paint with a knife is significant; it corresponds to his character, as does the choice of alkyde over the past five years. ‘’Oils dry too slowly, acrylics on the other hand dry too fast and do not provide the same sensations.’’ Once the canvas is ready, he covers it with thick strata of a shiny varnish to stress the highlights. Close to being a performance artist, Daniel Castan considers himself a stakhanovist painter and lets slip in a mildly provocative way : ‘’I consider myself more of a sportsman than an artist’’. Andrée Maennel – Dessins et Peintures

EXhibitions (resume)

2015
Salon de NYC - Etats Unis
Salon de Milan - Italie
Galerie 3020 - Marrakech
Art3F Mulhouse - Mulhouse
Galerie Nicole Gogat - Touquet
Invité d'honneur du Salon Vienn'art
Art 3G - Bordeaux
Galerie Sylvie Platini - Veyrier du lac
Lille Art Up - Lille

2014
Galerie " Art et émotion " - Lausanne ( Suisse)
ART UP Lille
Galerie Ranaldi - Porto Vecchio - Corse
Galerie " l'Expo "  - Rue de Brest - Lyon
Galerie " PARIS.NEW-YORK ART GALLERY " Luxembourg
Galerie  " l'Expo " - Rue St andré des Arts - Paris
St'art - Srasbourg
NY Manhattan - 241 Bleecker Street - NY 100142013
Exposition Shangai - Hangzhou

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Galerie de Francony
Galerie d'Art du Léman - Yvoire
Galerie St Victor - Genève (Carouge)
Galerie A2 - St Paul de Vence
Galerie Nicole Gogat - Aigues Mortes
Galerie Harmattan - Megève
Galerie des Lombards - Mougins
Galerie Bouscayrol - Biarritz
........