C H A R L E S B L A C K M A N Blackman's Schoolgirl in the Lane painting displays an ominous scene of a young schoolgirl wandering alone through a bleak ally way at night. The girl appears carefree as she is skipping along, portraying just how ignorant and vulnerable the innocent child is to this dark, threatening atmosphere. Dreary colours such as greys, browns and dull blues, contrasted with black build up the sinister mood of the piece. The girl is contrasted with a reddish-brown colour that does not appear anywhere else but on her that...
is facing away from the light, and hiding her face. It seems as though the lady doesn't want to be seen in the sorrowful state she is in she just wants to stay in the dark to lament. Shadows are particularly dark under eyes, and are contrasted with a gleaming blue colour that appears to be tears, the same contrasting colour of her hair. The background is created from deep, dark yellows to reds painted to form a thick rough texture. This technique really accentuates the figure as the woman is painted with a smoother, flatter and even texture.