The Rink, 3pm, 1992

Bill Jacklin RA (b. 1943)

RA Collection: Art

Skaters swirl on the ice in New York’s Central Park. Viewed from above, they form slightly blurred silhouettes against the bright winter sunshine. Jacklin has always been fascinated by light and movement. This is one of a series of paintings that he made after moving to New York in 1985.

Jacklin compared the experience of observing the city to ‘the kind of feeling that you have when you look up at the night sky about the fullness of time and life passing. Everyone’s racing around, whether it’s the shadows, the people, or the clouds.’

Jacklin was born in London and initially studied graphics at Walthamstow School of Art before taking a place at the Royal College of Art in 1964 to study painting. At first his work was mostly abstract but from the mid 1970s his paintings became more figurative, particularly in its exploration of the effects of light and movement. His work was exhibited in one-man shows throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s in London and New York.