Press |  1990s  | 

‘Mastery in living colour’ by Charles Hall

Charles Hall finds a dazzling new freedom in the work of one of England’s leading abstract painters. John Hoyland has always been a virtuoso painter, but the paintings in his new ‘Bali’ series look more daring and assured than anything he has previously attempted: his sugary, metallic, unashamedly synthetic palette …

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Press |  1990s  | 

‘Landscapes of the mind’ by William Feaver

A recent spell in Bali has affected John Hoyland, prompting violent clashes and disturbances, a use of acrylics that mocks the controlled slippages and seepages of younger generation abstract painters. His paintings, at Theo Waddington, look astonishingly off-hand. Thick ejaculations hit tropic-nocturnal stained grounds. These in turn host squiggles of …

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Press |  1990s  | 

‘The finally inexplicable’ by Bryan Robertson

John Hoyland’s latest paintings are not being exhibited by any gallery, to the disappointment of the critic Bryan Robertson who believes them to be among his best. Here Robertson, the curator of two previous Hoyland shows, questions the artist about the new work and his development as an abstract painter …

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Press |  1980s  | 

‘Canvassing the abstract voters’ by Andrew Graham-Dixon

When Leonardo da Vinci ran out of ideas he used to go out and look at ‘a wall covered with dirt, or the odd appearance of some streaked stones.’ Staring at these skeins of abstract form, he found ‘landscapes, battles, clouds, uncommon attitudes, humorous faces, draperies. Out of this confused …

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Press |  1980s  | 

‘On Colour’: John Hoyland and Sally-Ann Schilling in conversation

John Hoyland: Well I think it’s the only thing that does – in a way that music does. Colour strikes you – I noticed it particularly in a ballet I’ve just done, where the music comes on and the colour comes on and you can feel the audience’s response. Sally-Ann …

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Press |  1980s  | 

‘John Hoyland: New Paintings’ by John McEwen

John Hoyland is king of the castle as far as freely handled abstract painting goes in this country, and reminds us of the fact with his latest exhibition. No one here mixes colour and technique with more style or assurance. Hoyland holds unapologetically to the mainstream, the international current of …

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Press |  1980s  | 

‘Hangovers and Gunfighters’ by Sandra McGrath

As soon as they walked into the Macquarie Gallery, I thought of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Gunfighters and internationally known English artists do not usually seem to have much in common. Looks, of course, had a lot to do with it. Patrick Caulfield, prematurely silver-haired, was immaculately dressed …

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