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Eileen Hogan and Stonypath

This essay is an analysis of the impact of Ian Hamilton Finlay's Stonypath on the artist Eileen Hogan. It is specifically in connection with her international touring exhibition based on Stonypath, which opened at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire, moved on to the Fleming Collection, London, and ended at the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven. This last venue makes Hogan one of the few living artists to be shown at this prestigious institution, funded by the Paul Mellon Foundation and dedicated to the American promotion of mostly historic British art. Previously Hogan had achieved considerable respect in the art world, particularly with her work on artist’s books. This particular essay includes some prehistory in that it looks back to Hogan's earlier involvement with London gardens before linking this interest with her long association with Stonypath and Hamilton Finlay. Woven into the discussion is acknowledgement of Hamilton Finlay's debt to the classical garden with its incorporation of temples and other conceits, as well as his habit of referencing the French Revolution, the Second World War, literary and pastoral allusions, puns and humour. Hogan's response to these ingredients and her attention to the mood and language of both landscape and technique are evaluated in such a way as to provide a concise but lasting statement of her artistic significance and presence at this moment in time. The essay sits alongside another essay by Mel Gooding and an interview with the artist in a carefully designed and illustrated book.