Rankin 1979

John Hoyland’s ‘Rankin’ is a symphony in blue, with hints of green. I see a painting coming into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. Imagine Hoyland, maybe with some jazz playing in the background, trying to find the right balance between control and accident. The paint is thin, almost watery in places, allowing the surface beneath to peek through. Then, there's that dark blue rectangle, tilted at a jaunty angle, with drips running down like tears. It communicates feeling, intention, and meaning. Hoyland’s work relates to the work of other painters who explore colour and form, such as Helen Frankenthaler, but it also stands alone in its bold simplicity. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another's creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty. We are invited to bring our own experiences to the canvas.