Untitled (Playing Chess)

This work demonstrates Blackburn’s transition from representational painting into abstraction. The figures, chessboard, and surrounding space are simplified into flat, sharp-edged shapes arranged in broad, colorful patterns. Geometric planes girded by active black lines create shifting spatial relationships that transform a familiar scene into a dynamic visual puzzle.

Blackburn was born in Philadelphia and began his art education at the Graphic Sketch Club (now the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial), the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (later the University of the Arts), and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Blackburn’s work became increasingly abstract through private classes with Dr. Arthur B. Carles, whose absorption of European modernism and expressive color guided his development. Beyond painting, Blackburn was a printmaker, muralist, and pioneer in silkscreen printing. He became a legendary teacher at both the University of the Arts and PAFA, mentoring generations of artists. His work is held in numerous collections, including Woodmere, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PAFA, and the Butler Institute of American Art.  

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