John Blackburn: Paintings

About

On the occasion of the 2006 exhibition held at the Metropole Galleries, Folkestone, Christopher Penn raises an interesting question in John Blackburn: A personal appreciation when he says; 'It is, without doubt, a remarkable body of work. But what is its artistic value?' For an artist such as John Blackburn (b.1932), relatively unknown since the 1960's, how should we 'place' him in the chronology of art history? Any lover of abstract paintings of the Modern British period cannot fail to observe the stylistic parallels between Blackburn's work and that of prominent contemporaries such as William Scott and Roger Hilton. However as we investigate Blackburn further, in particular his work from the 1970s to the present day, we see he occupies a more complex place within the lineage of British twentieth century, and indeed contemporary painting.