About

Artist Statement

My work is rooted in a quiet affirmation—of identity, presence, and the human form. I aim to render figures who don’t just exist in space, but who live in light and shadow, longing and quiet truth. I seek to reveal what lies beneath the surface—the emotional undercurrents that shape who we are. I paint not just the figure, but the pulse beneath the skin, the quiet hum of feeling that light and shadow can expose.

The subjects often emerge from darkness into illumination, caught between strength and vulnerability. Each painting is an attempt to capture that fleeting moment when emotion becomes visible—when tenderness, melancholy, or hope rises through the stillness.

I use light as both subject and metaphor. It defines form, but it also reveals truth. The realism in my work isn’t about precision; it’s about connection and for me it’s not a constraint but a revelation.  I want the viewer to feel the heartbeat of the person before them—to stand in front of the canvas and sense a shared humanity.

Working at a large scale allows that experience to become physical, enveloping. Up close, expressive brushstrokes and textured surfaces reward attention; from a distance, they dissolve into something quiet, almost cinematic. It’s in that tension—between presence and disappearance, intimacy and distance—that the work finds its meaning.

Biogaphy

Nathan Brad Hall is a Brooklyn-based painter whose work explores the emotional and psychological depth of the human figure. Known for his luminous use of light and nuanced realism, 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.