"Charles Blackman first experimented with sculptural figures in the early 1950s when he produced small schoolgirl figures in terracotta. They were unfired, hand-painted and adorned John and Sunday Reed's window shelves at Heide. Blackman also worked on ballet maquettes using painted schoolgirl figures cut out of cardboard suspended in a stage-like setting. In the following years Blackman explored new boundaries, working through drawing, printmaking and painting. In the 1960s, while living in London, Blackman viewed the cut-out works of Henri Matisse and Alexander Calder. Their images took hold in his imagination which resulted in Blackman producing many cardboard cut-out figures of his own.

He assembled them throughout his London studio creating the effect of a theatre set. Like Matisse, Blackman's free-hand cut-outs created an environment that transcended the boundaries of conventional painting, drawing, and sculpture. The boundaries were limitless resulting in images of walking feet, sphinx-like figures, cats and girls draped over and within window frames, dancing children and silhouetted faces with a three dimensional perspective. The cut-outs were shaped as maquettes for sculpture to be produced at a later time.

In 1993 the cardboard Maquettes for Sculpture 1969 were exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the artist's major retrospective Charles Blackman: Schoolgirls and Angels. At the time Blackman discussed having the maquettes turned into sculptures. Like John Perceval, Albert Tucker and John Olsen, each artist has had their iconic images cast in bronze. Charles Blackman's wishes and ideas have come to fruition with these vibrant, fluid and imposing bronze sculptures on the occasion of celebrations for his 80th birthday. Each work has a unique patina, signed by the artist and limited to a small edition. As the curator of the National Gallery of Victoria stated "they resonate with the crisper edges of his white cat's garden paintings and his fifties ballet maquettes". 

Walter Granek. Art Consultant. May 2008

"Charles was inspired by the cut-out works by Henri. Matisse and Alexander Calder. The cut out sculptures were created with a three dimensional perspective and were originally made from card in 1969 with the idea in mind to turn them into bronze sculptures. The original maquettes are in the Heide Gallery Collection. This small sculpture with colour representative of one of Charles' favourites was taken from the original and madein collaboration with artist David Bromley." Christabel Blackman,  2024