No Holds Barred: The Life and Art of Matthew Lanyon

Enter the world of Cornish artist, Matthew Lanyon whose extraordinary visionary talent and appetites collided with death, love and with a tragic inheritance.

Overview

Enter the world of Cornish artist, Matthew Lanyon whose extraordinary visionary talent and appetites collided with death, love and with a tragic inheritance. Muscular, tender, political; it has the quality of enchantment. Immersed in Matthew's world we discover a new geology of Cornwall. An archive led creative documentary about tenacity, legacy, love and loss. Told through the work and words of Cornish artist Matthew Lanyon (1951 – 2016), second son of Peter Lanyon the well-known ground-breaking modernist artist (1918 – 1964). In parallel to Matthew’s story is the interweaving of the current narrative of his widow and son preparing for an exhibition of his work. The film poignantly raises the question of how to manage the legacy of a powerful artist who dies unexpectedly, at the height of his powers.