Fall, leaves, Fall: An exhibition of Monotypes by Bill Jacklin

Marlborough Graphics London is pleased to present an online exhibition of monotypes by Bill Jacklin (b. 1943). Borrowing the title from the beautiful poem by Emily Brontë, this selection of artworks, like the poem, celebrates the wonder and awe of nature.  

Bill Jacklin has an instinctive and deep-rooted talent for graphic art. From his early experiments with etching as a student, Jacklin mastered printmaking as an opportunity to formulate his thoughts and feelings about the world around him. Specifically, it is Jacklin’s love of the monotype technique, which he began using in the mid-1990s, which so brilliantly facilitates his talent for textural, painterly compositions. 

Bursting with incandescent colour, these prints capture fleeting instances. The atmospheric sunsets and sunrises, brewing storms and night time gazing, are spontaneous and vibrant. At the heart of it all is Jacklin’s depiction of light, upon which he has reflected: 

‘In my case, it’s the light and the object, and one is interacting against the other. In the monotypes that is really all it is – the essence of the movement against the lightness of the paper, and the engagement of those two forces.’

The natural world is a fantastic source of inspiration to the creators of any art form. As with Bronte’s poem which has such significant emotional depth despite its brevity, Jacklin uses a lightness of touch and intuition with colour, to create windows into worlds which transcend our every day.  

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

- Emily Brontë: Fall, leaves,  Fall