John Hoyland
The late John Hoyland (1934-2011), is one of Britain’s leading abstract painters. Hoyland Studios were in the midst of organising John’s estate and a body of work that spanned an impressive six decades. We were invited to create a future facing portfolio website alongside filming interviews for John Hoyland’s estate.
The website design was to form an integral part of this legacy project and was designed to provide an access point to John and his work. The website needed to be of interest both to the general public and to scholars of art history.
The interviews form part of the Hoyland Estate’s archive of John’s work and achievements. The Estate also intends to use them as reference materials for possible future exhibitions and for their own marketing purposes.
PROJECT: JOHN HOYLAND
CLIENT: HOYLAND STUDIOS
FIELD: DIGITAL AND FILM
Fine Art websites are a curious thing, often quite ‘dry’ and academic, they are certainly a rarity amongst John’s generation. We chose to start with the man and his work and take it from there.
We knew we had to make the work ‘king’, hence our clean design. Then, as we got to know some of the the influences, the character and the sense of humor of the man, we knew that we needed to also allow people to get a little closer to John, especially now that he is no longer with us.
So, we created interactive, stunning 360 panoramic photography that we shot in John’s London studio. We also included some pages of his sketchbooks and scrapbooks, for another level of insight into what made him tick and where his work came from. Other content includes images of the work itself, lists of his exhibitions, press and where his work can be found. We also integrated social media so that fans can be kept abreast of new opportunities to engage with John’s work. The whole site was bespoke built to do justice to the large volume of content it presents and to also allow for a catalogue raisonne and further content to plug into the website at a later date.
Take a closer look at www.johnhoyland.com
We also produced a series of 16 interviews with colleagues, friends and family of the late John Hoyland. Working closely with the Estate, we shot a series of interviews across multiple locations, including John’s studio and participants’ homes, studios and workplaces.
The footage is rich and contextual, and the content is equally rich in its depth and scope thanks to the generosity of the interviewees. Overall, the interviews provide an intimate portrait of John as an artist; exploring themes including his technique, sources of inspiration and methodology, as well as biographical and more personal content about the man himself.
To explore this content in more depth, please contact the Hoyland Estate: greatworks@hoylandstudio.com
INTERVIEWEES INCLUDE:
- Basil Beattie, RA – abstract painter and fellow
- Royal Academy Schools student
- Frank Bowling, RA – abstract painter
- Barbara Cantelo – collector
- Diana and Rodney Capstick-Dale – collectors
- Brian Dawn Chalkley – director of Chelsea’s MA Fine Art course and former assistant to Patrick Caulfield
- Sheila Girling – old friend and widow of Sir Anthony Caro
- Mel Gooding – art critic and author of Hoyland monograph
- Beverley Heath-Hoyland – John’s widow
- Jeremy Hoyland – John’s son
- Paul Huxley, RA – abstract painter and fellow Royal Academy Schools student
- Albert Irvin, RA – abstract painter
- Allen Jones – Pop artist and former neighbour
- Wiz JP Kelly – Estate archivist
- Theo Waddington – John’s dealer
- Robyn and Robert Wilson – patrons and owners of Hoyland-designed restaurant ‘The Don’
- Chris Yetton – art historian