2 days Ago
The work of a local artist was featured in the match programme for one of the biggest fixtures in football. Nick Taylor will be known amongst Wanderers fans for his pieces made in response to LS Lowry's iconic 1953 'Going to the Match' painting, which depicted fans as they walked into the club's former ground, Burnden Park. The Bolton-based artist first made a sequel of the same name as Lowry's painting in 2004, before returning to the well last year, releasing two new pieces as part of the same series .
Nick's paintings aim to capture the "feel of walking towards the stadium" and the "anticipation and tension" of it. Now, he has created the next pieces in the series, for two of the most historic and decorated clubs in the country, Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Going to Anfield (Image: Nick Taylor) The paintings, entitled 'Going to Anfield' and 'Going to Goodison', were featured in the match programme for the Merseyside derby earlier this month.
Nick said: "Having completed Going to the Match 2024, the next one was always going to be 'Going to Anfield', my partner's family are Liverpool fans. "Personally, I've got fond memories of the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Everton in 1986 - it's the FA Cup final that sticks with me as the most memorable to this day. "I was probably 11 at the time and had just started to enjoy watching the game as well as playing it, and really admired the Liverpool players of that period.
"John Barnes and Kenny Daglish were my inspiration in the schoolyard kickabouts." Going to Goodison (Image: Nick Taylor) To keep up to date with Nick's work, follow his Instagram accounts 'gttmcrowd' and 'nicktaylor_art', or see his website: https://www.gttmcrowd.
com/ He added: "To prepare for this and 'Going to Goodison' I would walk with the crowd, gradually taking in the atmosphere whilst photographing the build up of people. "I'd stop a couple of times to create quick sketches of the figures walking, to get the feeling of movement and flow that I try to capture in my paintings. "For all the paintings in the Series I will take around 100 photographs and produce 10 or more sketches - the composition needs to be right.
The angle of the stadium, the direction and flow of the crowd, but also to capture the atmosphere of the whole thing." Nick's feature in the programme (Image: Nick Taylor) Nick contacted Liverpool FC upon completion of the Anfield piece, with senior writer of their club programme Chris McLoughlin "really liking" the work. He added: "A few weeks before the Merseyside derby, Going to Goodison was complete and after a conversation with Chris, the timing seemed perfect to put an article together showing both paintings in the Liverpool v Everton Matchday Programme.
"Going to Goodison was painted as a tribute to the ground Everton will be leaving at the end of this season. "I have recently been in contact with the club and they would like a limited edition run of prints created, as a collaboration, for their 'Farewell to Goodison' initiative.".
