History in the Making: Reflections on 2019

This work is part of a curated section of 10 artworks that look back on significant events in 2019. You can see more details on all the artwork in this series here. 

Julia Hall is no stranger to documentary painting. At the beginning of 2018, the artist started her If Not Now series which saw her create a painting every week for a year that reflected the news stories of the time. It was created in response to the frenetic media onslaught in contemporary society - the slow, rigorous layering of oil paint gave longevity to otherwise fleeting events.

For her tribute to 2019, Julia has created this oil painting portrait of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist. In May of this year, Greta was featured on the cover of Time magazine, which named her a "next generation leader" for her work on climate change. 

Hall's approach to the figure celebrates the individuality of each of her subjects and her portraits range from tender representations of childhood to depictions of elderly friends visiting a museum. She captures unspectacular, unguarded snapshots of everyday life, preserving these moments in candid oil compositions.

Accolades

Dip. Museum Studies, Leicester University, 2001.
BA Modern History, University of Oxford, 1995.
Further education studies in drawing, sculpture and oil painting, City Lit, 2010.
Further education studies in figurative art and portraiture, New York Academy of Art and Grand Central Academy, 2012.
Porthmeor Programme, St Ives School of Painting, 2018.

Group Exhibitions: The Society of Women Artists 2019 Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, London 2019. The Spring Auction, The Auction Collective, London 2019. The Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London 2018.

Solo Exhibitions: If Not Now, 10 Hanover Street, London, 2018.