Julie Held (b. 1958 London, England - Lives London, England)
Commemoration, 1993
Oil on canvas
152.5 x 107 cm
Ben Uri Collection
© Julie Held
Second generation German-Jewish émigrée
Memory and identity are important concepts in Julie Held's art. The act of commemoration alluded to in the title is not clear but this act of remembrance involves three generations of women from her own family, as they gather together for a meal. Among them are her aunt and her sister - the latter regards her own image in a mirror - a frequent if ambiguous trope in art, used variously to depict truth, deception, self-awareness and vanity, but here perhaps acting as a memento mori. Behind the women, a window - a common motif in Held's painting - both frames the moment and again suggests its transience. Colour is also central to the artist's practice, expressing poignancy and an ongoing pre-occupation with the powerful yet fragile cycle of life.
