Speed, Moment of Force by Paul Sayers, oil on canvas

This is one of twelve paintings Sayers made to commemorate the Battle of Britain, which he first exhibited at London’s Barbican Centre before touring them to the RAF Museum in 1990.

Instead of recreating a pictorial narrative of events he had not witnessed, Sayers sought a more intuitive artistic response, using abstraction to suggest the force of speed and ‘raw emotions’ experienced by fighter pilots. For his research he interviewed two veteran Battle of Britain Spitfire pilots who described the power of the machines and the intensity of battles, which lasted just a few minutes or even seconds. Purchased in 1990. Copyright: Paul Sayers / RAF Museum.