Charles Blackman’s schoolgirls stand among his most iconic subjects. Conceived in the early 1950s, this series – of which ‘Floating Schoolgirl’ derives – charts an entanglement of themes both personal and societal. The work presents a juxtaposition of innocence and threat – a lingering effect of war and encroaching modernism, as well as Blackman’s experience of alienation as a young man new to Melbourne.

‘Floating Schoolgirl’ is intriguing. In blues and blacks, Blackman draws a Schoolgirl falling through space, a clock looming in the background. Despite the abstraction of gravity, time relentlessly ticks forth. In this noirish dreamscape, youth feels fickle – what happens when midnight strikes?

Blackman’s Schoolgirls gave image to mythologies of adolescence, the desolate suburban sprawl, as well as the unsolved murder of a school friend of Blackman’s first wife. They were also an instrument of catharsis that still now recognise the pain of coming of age.

Printed as part of a portfolio of five prints, published by Nadine Armadio for Blackman’s seventieth birthday. Hand-signed and visually striking, ‘Floating Schoolgirl’ is an engrossing find for collectors of Blackman.

Charles BLACKMAN (1928 - 2018)
'Floating Schoolgirl' 1998
screenprint on paper
Edition of 70
Image Size: 60 x 80 cm
Dimensions: 75 x 106 cm
Signed: Signed Blackman lower right
Comes with Letter of Provenance
From A Celebration For His Seventieth Birthday suite of five screenprints case. The portfolio was conceived and published by Nadine Amadio, together with Charles Blackman, as a celebration of his 70th birthday and an homage to his lifetime in Australian art.

 The displayed artwork is a representation from the edition. Any impression number may be provided upon sale. Contact us for details on available impression numbers.
 
An impression of this work is represented at Heide Museum of Modern Art, accession no.: 1998.2.2
 
The paper is VELIN ARCHES, 270 GSM, 105 x 75cm.
 
Condition: Excellent
© Charles Blackman / Copyright Agency