Alice 

Curator: Standing before us is Charles Blackman’s oil painting, "Alice." It's interesting how Blackman returns, again and again, to themes of vulnerability and innocence, often exploring them through a female perspective. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Immediately, the bold brushstrokes catch the eye. The color palette, with that almost muted blue dress against the raw canvas background, creates a striking, dreamlike quality. There’s a palpable sense of both unease and curiosity emanating from the scene. Curator: Indeed. The work touches upon themes of childhood and perhaps the challenges that come with entering the world, both imagined and real. The perspective places us behind Alice, almost as silent observers to the complex social constructs that Blackman presents to us. This positioning could perhaps force us to reconcile her identity with the environments she must navigate, which at times may be confusing or threatening. Editor: That perspective certainly creates an interesting tension. But beyond the conceptual aspects, I'm captivated by how Blackman uses lines and shapes to build form—it's a deliberate flattening that adds to the painting's haunting allure. Note the stark contrast of the vertical table supports with the broad, flat planes of the floor. It's a visual puzzle. Curator: The perspective and flattened elements definitely reinforce a dreamlike, almost unsettling psychological space. Blackman's portrayal could reflect his lived experience working with people experiencing mental health conditions, offering a broader reflection of internal anxieties or emotional states through the story of "Alice". The key itself also feels quite oversized, maybe signifying potential access, knowledge, and power. Editor: Agreed. The scale is unexpected and slightly disturbing. And those rough edges! The application of the oil paint, while controlled, conveys a certain raw urgency. There is no meticulous rendering of fine details here; instead, there is an immediacy and honesty of expression through shape and colour that draws the viewer in. Curator: I think by exploring “Alice” within the larger themes of identity, perhaps that honesty and simplicity can represent the loss of childhood naivete that is sometimes violently disrupted by society, thus giving her character so much depth beyond a simple childhood fable. Editor: Absolutely, Charles Blackman offers us an insightful experience that is more than just a girl looking through a door; it’s an introspective dive that continues to resonate with observers through this careful use of structure and design.