Lineillism

Lineillism is the application of paint in vertical lines that blend together when viewed from a distance, introduced by post-Impressionist painter JC Hall in 2002. The use of exclusively vertical lines throughout the painting creates an exciting tension between the shapes of forms and the direction of the painted lines. The technique is similar to Pointillism, except that instead of dots of color, JC Hall's paintings are all vertical lines of color. JC (Jim) Hall's art training and experience began in Los Angeles, including solo shows up and down the West Coast. He has repeat clients throughout the Midwest, South and in California and his work is included in significant corporate collections. Hall currently lives in Sharonville, Ohio, where he maintains a gallery and teaches other students his lineillism technique. Hall first began painting using vertical lines in 2001, after suffering a bout of Shingles, which temporarily marred his vision so that he saw the world in lines. When he recovered, Hall began painting the world in the style he had seen. Hall staged a show of 36 works at a gallery in Sharonville Ohio, from September 24 - October 24, 2010. It was featured in various publications. Hall, now 82, continues to paint his "lineillisms," which sell to collectors across the country.
The following excerpt is taken from HiVelocityMedia's feature article on Hall and his art show, written by Gene Monteith, October, 2010.
For J C Hall (Jim), innovation roared in on the back of a stroke and a bout with shingles. The result was a new vision of the world and a brand new art form, which is gaining attention for the shimmering colors and almost-moving shapes the former Procter & Gamble executive paints with thousands of straight vertical lines.
Hall recently opened the first all-Lineillism show at the Fine Arts Gallery in Sharonville, Ohio. Thirty-six pieces, painted over the last decade, demonstrate a technique that the Cincinnati Enquirer called possibly the first new art form since Impressionism.
Hall contacted the Miller Gallery in Cincinnati - a fine art dealer with which Hall had an exclusive contract for many years - and asked owner Barbara Miller to convene a group of experts to view the new work.
"When I unveiled the painting, I said, 'my only question is: has this ever been done before?' And categorically it was 'no, it has not been done before.'"
The Sharonville show opened Sept. 24 and included thirty-six works - thirty-five of them event-only priced between $1,200 and $350 - much lower than the $3,000 to $4,000 his first few Lineillism works commanded, "mainly because I wanted people to have them." The thirty-sixth painting, "Outer Banks," had not been for sale to this point, but was in the show with the event-only price of $5,000. The show closed October 24, 2010.
The exhibition has resulted in publicity he never expected and surprising attention from those outside of Ohio, he says. Hall plans to continue painting and teaching.
When asked which artist he admires the most, Hall says Claude Monet. Considered the father of Impressionism, Monet was the first to paint with short, broken brush strokes using unmixed colors. While now considered one of the most innovative art forms ever conceived, Impressionism was called an abomination by many 19th Century critics.
Now comes Jim Hall. Fortunately, no one is calling Lineillism anything but groundbreaking. -Gene Monteith, HiVelocityMedia October, 2010.

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