Castella, the Factory-Owner

Castella has a big moustache and he tells vulgar jokes. He does not like reading, he does not like the theatre. He spends his days at a factory, which belongs to him, and his evenings at the theatre, to which he seemingly does not belong. His unrefined ways, lack of education and artistic culture make him an object of ridicule when he joins the artists for dinner after the spectacle, with the hope of gaining the sympathy of the lead actress, Clara, with whom he has fallen madly in love.

But they seem worlds apart. Castella's efforts seem merely to consolidate his position as a joking matter in this artistic milieu. In yet another attempt to be close to Clara, Castella attends an exhibition by one of her painter friends, and buys a painting. But how could this moustachioed industrialist have a taste for painting not induced by some other motivation? The painter's boyfriend believes that Castella felt obliged to buy the painting after having unwittingly insulted him and the painter with a pejorative remark on gays. Clara thinks Castella is buying art to impress her. But Castella goes even further: he commissions the painter to paint a mural on the façade of his factory, which happens to be a paint factory.

Although the painter believes that Castella has commissioned the painter because he appreciates his art, and therefore sees no harm in their agreement, Clara is convinced that they are taking advantage of his feelings towards her. ‘I know Castella,’ she says; ‘he doesn't appreciate it. He doesn't know a thing.’ But when she visits the factory to put an end to this exploitation, as she sees it, Castella surprises her by telling her that he actually likes the paintings, and that is why he is buying them. ‘You didn't think for a minute it could be because I liked them? Don't worry,’ he assures Clara, ‘it's because I like them’.