July 1930 Standard 3

Jacob, Age 15

  • Painting
  • Acrylic paint on canvas
  • 1020(w) 760(h) 15(d) mm

This is a painting based on the school photograph of my grandfather's class in 1930. I have been working on this painting over the last year in the lead up to my grandfather's birthday in May 2021, when he would have turned 100. He is pictured 5th from the left, second row from the top in the navy blue suit. I was painting from a black and white image but I wanted to bring these boys to life and give them a modern feel with their brightly coloured clothes. Although I never met my grandfather, painting this helped me connect with my family's east London Jewish heritage and as I painted each face I wondered what became of these boys and whether any of them lived to see 100. Most of them would have fought in WW2 (my grandfather was in the RAF), and some may not have survived.