Recidences and life events 1901–1914

 

Source: Hall Richard Pintor [1930s-1960s], British Library

 
Richard Hall traveled to South America in 1914. His destination was Uruguay, where he painted portraits. That same year, World War I broke out in Europe. In 1915, he moved to Argentina, where he lived until his death in 1942. He continued his active career as an artist, painting portraits and still lifes, as well as working as an illustrator. In 1914, he married Luciana Maria Magdalena Chobard (January 21, 1896 - July 4, 1980). They had five children named Irene, Enrique, Magdalena, Juanita, and Isabel. While living in Argentina, Hall obtained citizenship.

Information about Hall's life in Argentina has been preserved in the digitized archive Hall Richard Pintor [1930s-1960s] published by the British Library, which contains newspaper clippings, photographs, images of his works, and a few letters. Unfortunately, some of the information in the materials is incomplete and inaccurate. The Spanish-language blog Fotos Viejas de Mar del Plata recounts the stages of Hall's life in Argentina. The newspaper La Capital Mar del Plata published an article about Hall and the villa he built on August 30, 2020.

Places of residence

In Argentina, Hall apparently built a Breton-style villa in the Mar del Plata area, which at the time was cornfields, in the late 1910s. A letter sent by Hall in 1926 has the address Villa Tredinnick, Guemes 2557 printed on it. This is probably the same address described in an article in La Capital Mar del Plata magazine as the intersection of Güemes and Alberti streets. The name Villa Tredinnick probably refers to Hall's paternal family roots in England, which I have written about previously. The Breton architectural style refers to the years when Hall lived in the small village of Le Pouldu in Brittany, France.

According to the newspaper article, the villa was surrounded by a thin net that prevented flies and mosquitoes from entering. The residents called their house "the lunchbox." According to the article, Hall and his family lived in the house until 1933. However, the British Library's archives contain a letter sent by Hall in 1935, marked with the address Guëmes 2557. The address later changed to Buenos Aires, as in 1942 he lived there near the sea at Federico Lacroze 1620.

Work

Hall continued painting portraits in Argentina, where he became a popular portrait painter among the social elite. He also painted still lifes. Hall actively participated in exhibitions and, judging by archival materials, was clearly a popular painter. According to my current information, his latest painting dates from 1937, but there are probably many more late works.

In addition to painting, Hall worked as an illustrator for Haynes Publishing. According to metadata from the British Library's archives, his illustrations were published in the magazines El Hogar, Columbia, Athéna, and Revista del Ferrocarril del Sud. Hall also held exhibitions in the publishing house's salons.

 

An illustration from 1929
Lähde: Hall Richard Pintor [1930s-1960s], British Library

Death

Richard Hall passed away in Buenos Aires at the age of 82 on June 23, 1942. His death was reported in the press in Argentina, France, and Finland, among other countries. The information in the obituaries about the artist's life is somewhat inconsistent. Most of the obituaries emphasize Hall's role as a popular portrait painter.

However, Hall lived a long and varied life, which included a naturalistic phase that began in the 1880s. From the early 20th century onwards, his popularity as a portrait painter grew significantly, and it became his main area of work.