Charles Blackman Art Analysis
Uploaded by zozywashere on Oct 26, 2005
C H A R L E S B L A C K M A N
Blackman’s Schoolgirl in the Lane painting displays an ominous scene of a young schoolgirl wandering alone through a bleak ally way at night. The girl appears carefree as she is skipping along, portraying just how ignorant and vulnerable the innocent child is to this dark, threatening atmosphere. Dreary colours such as greys, browns and dull blues, contrasted with black build up the sinister mood of the piece. The girl is contrasted with a reddish-brown colour that does not appear anywhere else but on her that draws more attention to her without completely changing the tone of the image. Smooth, short yet bold brushstrokes flow in a style that harnesses the dark vibe that Blackman was trying to come across.
The fact that Blackman displays the schoolgirl alone and does not show her face illustrates that the girl is aloof in her own world almost unaware of how dangerous the reality is.
The hiding school girl is an image of a girl who is sitting crouched by herself, once again, in a dark setting, isolating herself from everything else. There is a sense of solitude and loneliness drawn from this painting as the adolescent escapes curled up, secluded from world. The way her face is left unexposed by her hat and the dark shadow beneath it, adds mystery, as we do not know who she is or what she is thinking, with no idea of her expression, we are subjected to conclude that she does not want to be revealed but wants to hide and dwell in her own thoughts. With her head down she seems as though she is sad and doesn’t want to be bothered or approached. Like Blackman’s Schoolgirl in the lane painting, the scene is dark and cold, only this image has greater sinister feeling to it. The bolder feeling of threat is painted with bolder colours and brushstrokes, giving the piece greater sensation, and emotion. The creepy sentiment of the overall image is made up from Blackman’s reddish tones, accompanied by the dark background and the girl’s shadow. The tone is then balanced out with the use of green shading on the figure’s hat and her blue dress.
Dreaming in the street comes across, once again, with a dark, gloomy feeling to it. Although Blackman has created simple figures,...