Isak Hall

Isak Hall’s paintings consist of unconventional landscapes with luminosity and depth. The greatness of the earth as well as the universe and infinite space are reflected in his work, which has been referred to as Nordic Transcendence, a term under which Hall exhibited at Bonniers konsthall 2020. Through his practice, Hall dives into the scientific aspects which lie beneath the surface of the artworks, as well as the mystique of it all.

Could you talk about this new series of paintings that we are exhibiting at CFHILL this spring, what inspired this body of work?
— These four new pieces that I am exhibiting at CFHILL this time, are the largest format I have embarked upon so far. These paintings have more variation than my previous works. They contain more layers and appear more vibrant to me. This kind of layer-painting I am doing, is partly inspired by Renaissance painters, partly by later practitioners. The studio practice itself is also inspiring to me. Besides the surroundings of my studio in northern Västerbotten, I appreciate the calmness and the landscape, deserted areas, the open air, the shifting in light and the tones of the night sky. One of the paintings seem to depict a starry sky in a Baueresque aesthetics with a low line of horizon. At first it was like a snowscape, then I thought; this is going to be a Starry Night. I have just finished varnishing it and it is beautiful. I have also been exploring Vädersolstavlan in the remaining works from this series. My studio in Stockholm is too small for such large scale projects, so I have been working up here in Norrland in periods for the last nine years, and more intense over the last few years. 

Vädersolstavlan, the oldest known image of Stockholm, placed in Storkyrkan, depicts the late medieval city of Stockholm seen from the heights of Södermalm. Initially the painting was thought to be from the year 1535 but then discovered to be a copy from 1636. What is it about this painting that you feel inspired by?
— You can say that all the paintings in the series are partly inspired by Vädersolstavlan, the celestial phenomena depicted in this work, but it is not as if I work according to it as a concept. I am inspired by several different things in life and in art. But as a source of inspiration, a specific artwork can set me in motion, then the works gradually emerge during the painting process itself. I have been working on this series for almost a year now. I don’t have such a high production, I create about one oil series per year. I invest a lot of time in my paintings, because painting within itself is an artform to me. 

Your artistic practice is synonymous with technical brilliance and as you mentioned, you tend to create work with technics and materials used by the great masters of the Renaissance era, such as precious pigments, tempera, and oil on panel instead of the more commonly used canvas. You also make your own aquarelle from Gum Arabic. How come you are so attracted to older working methods?
— I have always been interested in crafts, and painting on panel is a traditional form of oil painting. It is hard on the one hand, because the works become so heavy, but for me it is still an advantage as this way, you get a completely different light and depth and then when you put in-between varnishes, the pigments blend in a specific way. These are methods that are possible to develop forever and you learn new things continuously as all pigments behave differently. That I base some works with tempera is because it gives a different luminosity. Using egg oil tempera which consists of egg yolk, linseed oil and distilled water, means that the works get a luminosity from within. I have explored pigments a lot, blending my own oil colours, as it feels less authentic to just buy ready-made paint in a tube. I use a lot of ocher and earth colours in the bottom layer, it is called grisaille-painting, when you build up the image with two red earth colours and a white pigment until the base is as good as possible. Then transparent pigments are layered on top.

Your interest in nature is reflected in your art, but you are not creating landscape images in the traditional sense, but rather investigating how everything is connected. Have you come to any new conclusions that you didn’t think of before?
— No, but what is important to me is that the works affect the viewer with something that is not just a subject. They should be so drawn to the works that they don’t need to ask what they are viewing.

Do you get separation anxiety when you let go of the works, given that you have worked on them for so long?
— No, I think it is great letting go because the works get a new life when I release them, but of course I always wish I had more time with them before they go.