Going a message
(1954)
Medium
oil and enamel paint on composition board
Measurements
(89.0 × 120.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Felicity St John Moore and Des Moore, 2025
© Charles Blackman/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Raised in Queensland, Sydney-born artist Charles Blackman left school aged thirteen, returning to New South Wales to work as an illustrator for the Sydney Sun newspaper. Primarily self-taught, he initially studied at East Sydney Technical College before moving to Melbourne, where he became an active member of the Heide circle. Going a message was inspired by Blackman’s twilight walks around the inner-city suburb of Carlton in the 1950s. Bright advertisements contrast with the running boy and the skipping girl, whose green dress reflects the twilight sky. The children’s opposing shadows emphasise the flatness of the hoardings and the unusual angles of the surrounding architecture, creating a surreal urban scene.