The Curtain for the Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – SOLD

I’m delighted to offer this unique watercolour by Charles Blackman. This is a special painting with strong connections to Buderim as it was influenced by the time that Blackman lived at Buderim on the Sunshine Coast during the the mid-1980’s on his idyllic property which was surrounded by a rainforest and waterfalls.

During his long career, Blackman collaborated with writers, artists and actors and dancers, and this intriguing watercolour was painted in circa 1990 when Blackman worked closely with Barry Moreland on the visual design of the West Australian Ballet company’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. During 1990 and 1991 Blackman travelled between his studio in Perth and Sydney to continue his collaboration with costumiere and set painters for the West Australian ballet production.

Blackman began work on his ideas for the sets for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1984 while he was living at Buderim and creating works inspired by the rainforests of the area that depicted trees, flowers, butterflies, waterfalls and figures that merged with their rainforest and waterfall location.

In this watercolour, Blackman portrays himself in his red artist’s cap flying high in the summer night above the curtain of the ballet.  Reminiscent of the forest setting in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, figures emerge from a tangle of flowers, vines and butterflies.  Blackman stretches out in a tender gesture with a flower in his hand to greet his companion on the other side of the curtain.  The romanticism of the scene is highlighted by the dreaminess of Blackman’s expression and the inclusion of a winged fairy on the left, creating an aura of mysticism.