.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The Kiss most probably dates from the period 1961 - 1965, which Charles and his wife Barbara spent in London as part of the expatriate community of Australian artists that included Sidney Nolan, Brett Whiteley, Arthur Boyd and Michael Johnson.
The subject matter of the work is quintessentially Blackman. Placed against a background of luminous gold that is atmospheric rather than contextually identifiable, the lovers are caught in an intensely private moment and world. The closed eyes of both figures imparts to the work a dream-like quality and an element of isolation that are the defining characteristics of many of Blackman's paintings.
The subject matter of the work is quintessentially Blackman. Placed against a background of luminous gold that is atmospheric rather than contextually identifiable, the lovers are caught in an intensely private moment and world. The closed eyes of both figures imparts to the work a dream-like quality and an element of isolation that are the defining characteristics of many of Blackman's paintings.