Artwork
Still Life
Still Life is a print by Jose Castiella. It dates from 2015 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a 2015 limited‑edition print by José Castiella, produced as part of the annual Graduate Prize run by Jealous Print Studio.
About this work
This is a print from 2015 by Jose Castiella. It’s part of a yearly set made by recent art school grads in London. Each winner gets a paid studio stay to make a limited print edition.
The prize started in 2009. Jealous Print Studio runs it. They gave every year’s batch of prints to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
The work is a 2015 limited‑edition print by José Castiella, produced as part of the annual Graduate Prize run by Jealous Print Studio. Each year the prize selects one recent MA Fine Art graduate from the leading London art schools, funds a studio residency, and commissions a new print that is later exhibited with the other winners’ editions.
Subject & Meaning
Castiella’s image translates the painterly qualities of his canvases into a printed format, emphasizing expansive gestural strokes and a tactile surface. The composition foregrounds the physicality of mark‑making, inviting viewers to consider how the act of drawing can convey both force and subtle nuance within a still‑life framework.
Technique & Style
Created during the studio residency, the print employs a combination of intaglio and relief processes that allow for pronounced texture and bold, sweeping lines. The layered inks and varied pressures replicate the thick, expressive brushwork typical of Castiella’s paintings, while the print medium introduces a crispness that balances the gestural vigor.
History & Provenance
Since its inception in 2009, the Graduate Prize has generated a yearly series of prints, each donated by Jealous Print Studio to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s print collection. Castiella’s 2015 edition entered the V&A’s holdings as part of this ongoing donation, ensuring public access and scholarly documentation.
Context
The prize situates emerging artists within a collaborative framework that bridges academic training and professional practice. By pairing a funded studio period with a group exhibition, it highlights the transition from graduate work to a broader art‑world presence, while the V&A’s acquisition situates the prints within a historic continuum of British printmaking.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jose Castiella’s prints have the quiet confidence of a baker who knows exactly how to stack a croissant.
