Nathan Brad Hall's work comes together in this show to build an undeniably jaw dropping experience for viewers. “Undercurrents,” says Hall, “is about trying to find a way to capture the underlying layers of emotion and have that emotion resonate outwards. It’s the hum of electricity just below the surface, pulsing and cracking, that influences the way we move about in the world.” Based in New York and known for his large-scale figure paintings, Hall’s work offers glimpses into the intensity and vulnerability of being human. He says, "working at a sizable scale allows the viewer to become enveloped in the figure's deep humanity."
Hall's monumentally scaled work is defined by his use of dramatic lighting. In each work, he illuminates specific areas of the figure and their surroundings as the rest fades away into deep shadows. While Hall's work displays his knowledge and technique with painting realism, bits and pieces of texture pop out throughout the body of work. Highlights of selectively placed thickly painted marks bring his work to a whole new level of depth. The selective marks reward viewers as they view the work up close, until they fade into the image from afar. Hall states, "Using both expressive and refined brush strokes of various thickness, my work uses the physical nature of oil paint to explore the balance of energy and stillness that can make the human figure come alive."
Nathan Brad Hall lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. With a background in both abstract and figurative studies, his focus today is on figurative oil painting, attempting to capture the light that illuminates us all. He has shown his work extensively in group and solo exhibitions in NYC and beyond and can be found in private collections across the U.S. and internationally.
Image: Nathan Brad Hall, Day Break, oil on linen, 58 x 58 inches