‘68-76’, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1976 (oil on board)

‘68-76’, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1976. Oil on board and wallpaper by Ralph Lillford, 1976. This painting was inspired by the artist’s visit to the Grand Central Hotel, in April 1974, very soon after two large bombs had been detonated in vehicles parked beside it. As the principal Army billet in Belfast, the former luxury hotel was a major target for Republican paramilitary groups. The painting’s title, from the house numbers painted in reverse on the glass panel above the door, also refers to the period of ‘the Troubles’ up to that point. The eerie little figure of the child wearing a mask of death is literally clinging to religion, as he holds up a glowing picture of Christ crowned with thorns and looking up to heaven. Behind him is a glimpse of the derelict landscape that evokes the desolated First World War terrains painted by Paul Nash. Between 1971 and 1976, drawn by an interest in the civil conflict, Ralph Lillford made repeated trips to Northern Ireland to draw what he saw in the streets.