James O'Hanlon

James's painting explores the use of 'beauty' in advertising, primarily, images used for fashion and 'style'. These images that surround us, raid the whole history of painting, photography and cinema.

In order to construct pictures that will demand emotional responses, adverts use compositions, and expressions that have worked for centuries.
Through his paintings James exploits this heritage, creating pictures of women taken directly from advertising, removing any connection with the original product. The images hint instead at religious iconography, political propaganda or images that echo cinema stills. The titles encourage us to make new connections for the images.