CHARLES BLACKMAN

Lister Gallery, Perth
Private collection, London, purchased February 1987
Fine Australian Art, Sotheby's, Sydney, 24 August 2004, lot 7
Private collection, Sydney; purchased from the above

New Paintings, Charles Blackman, Zwemmer Gallery, London, 14 September - 9 October 1965, cat. 16
New Paintings, Charles Blackman, Skinner Galleries, Festival of Perth, Perth, 1996, cat. 16

Nadine Amadio, Charles Blackman, The Lost Domains, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney, 1980, p. 48, pl. 3.27 as 'Tulips'

The work is framed in a gold timber frame with a black slip. There is a vertical scuff through the centre of the figure, left. Similar scuffing upper left. Otherwise overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Nadine Amadio has written of the 'lyrical balance of light and shade to suggest an inner listening' in the works of Charles Blackman such as The Night Watch.  This delicate balance is played out between the figure at watch, silhouetted, by the window and the central vibrant, flower in the vase. 'For Charles Blackman, girls and flowers are an eloquent form for his personal poetry... . Many of the girls and flowers images were reflections of his wife.'¹

In Thomas Shapcott's reflection on Blackman's exhibition at the Zwemmer Gallery, he observed that the works on view were 'expansive in their broad swathes of colour' and revealed Blackman's assimilation of current international trends apparent in their hard edges and flat surfaces. Shapcott suggested that these formal motifs served primarily 'to reinforce the emotional power of his eternal preoccupation: people.'²

1. Nadine Amadio, Charles Blackman, The Lost Domains, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney, 1980, pp. 39, 44
2. Thomas Shapcott, The Art of Charles Blackman, André Deutsch, London, 1989, p. 38