( Spring Hill with Figures )

Blackman had an ongoing connection with Queensland, first visiting Brisbane in 1948 where he saw the work of Sidney Nolan and then living in the sunny state over different periods. Those early days provided Blackman with many important influences, connections and friendships, including meeting Barbara, whom he would marry in 1951. The couple travelled regularly to see Barbara’s mother in Brisbane, making their first trip in 1952, with Charles inspired to paint the tropical ‘suburban illuminations’¹ viewed from the flat window in Kelvin Grove, Spring Hill including the “slanting, slatting latticed timber houses.”²

This is a pivotal early painting where we can see Blackman defining his own artistic voice and establishing many fundamental elements of his work. The shadowy figures are a precursor to later works, as well as the juxtaposition and ambiguity of the gaze, the sense of both looking in and out. The figures also evoke a feeling of unease; this brooding sense of menace being explored more powerfully in many of the Schoolgirl images. The geometric vigour in the painting, although inspired by the typical Queenslander house, becomes a defining feature of Blackman’s work.