A recent highlight among National Library of Australia author talks was that of Christabel Blackman, focusing on her book, Charles & Barbara Blackman: A decade of art and love, about her late parents, Barbara, the highly-regarded artist, broadcaster, essayist, librettist, poet and patron of the arts, and highly-renowned artist, Charles Blackman. Speaking with Barbara’s close friend, Jeremy Thomas, Christabel said that the idea to write about her parents’ lives came to her a few years ago when she and Barbara were sifting through Barbara’s myriad old diaries, photos and manuscripts, paramount among them being many love letters from Charles to her in the early years of their lives together. A contrast is clear between Barbara’s background and doted-upon life in Brisbane as the only child (Barbara’s twin sister, Coralie, died aged two weeks) of her widowed mother, and the early life of Sydney-born Charles, whose frugal childhood included difficult times, especially his loneliness in Dalwood Children’s Home when his mother was unable to cope with her children. It was when Barbara was at university and working in Brisbane’s Ballard Bookshop, a haven for literary and artistic intellectuals at the time, that she met Charles in the bookshop. The couple’s attraction and love for each other are illustrated through the many romantic letters, and outpourings of love, especially from Charles to Barbara. Along with other artists, Charles and Barbara were to become very influential in the Australian and international art scene and not surprisingly the names of many renowned artists appear in the book: Arthur Boyd, David Boyd, John Brack, Mirka Mora and her spouse, Georges, John Perceval, Clifton Pugh, Joy Hester, John and Sunday Reed, being just some in their wide circle of friends in the arts community. The book essentially represents a social history of the times, not only related to the Blackmans’ lives but also those of their contemporaries, and what was occurring in society. Along with Charles’ very beautiful and colourful sketches, letters, documents and photos, the book tells a lot about Barbara: her loss of eyesight yet her determination to maintain her sense of self through literary and intellectual pursuits. As the NLA website notes, this book is a beautiful and revealing portrait of two people, their art and a world they changed forever. Christabel is a visual artist and fine-art conservator with wide experience as: a studio assistant for her father who taught her painting techniques, composition and the symbolic language of the emotions expressed in art; a manager for the Sydney-based family business of limited-edition graphics; a science writer; teacher; photographer; illustrator and gallery consultant. She runs her own private art restoration studio and visual arts practice, has often exhibited her works in Australia and Europe and is a widely-published author. Her formal training includes that of artist and conservator in Florence, Paris, Sydney and Valencia. She holds an Italian Diploma in Restoration of Easel paintings and a Spanish Masters’ Degree in Science for Art Conservation. Jeremy Thomas has a degree in Sanskrit and Indian religion and a strong interest in art and literature. He is a policy adviser with experience in several portfolios.
