John Hoyland – an appreciation

It’s difficult to believe that John Hoyland is dead. He was a man so full of life, with such appetite for living, that his absence from our midst makes no sense. Even when grievously ill in the past months, he was more likely to engage in anecdote and tell jokes than complain of his increasingly frail condition. The spirit of the man continued to shine brilliantly despite the adverse circumstances.

His last exhibition, all new paintings, opened at the Beaux Arts Gallery in Cork Street in April. At the private view, Hoyland, although already much reduced physically, sat in the midst of his vividly coloured and exhilarating work, and accepted the homage of friends and admirers. Despite his waning energy, he talked to young and old alike, new recruit and old freeloader, with familiar warmth and infectious good humour. The wonder of it was that he had produced such a vibrant body of new work when mortally ill; and in that determination lies the key to his success as a man and an artist.