The Shadow 

Charles Blackman created *The Shadow* using bold applications of colour that give the painting a striking visual presence. The composition is divided horizontally, with a row of simplified, blue house-like forms across the top, grounding the space. The lower portion of the painting is dominated by a pale pink plane, occupied by a child and her looming dark shadow. This shadow is exaggerated in length and form, which creates a sense of unease. The shadow could be interpreted through a structuralist lens, symbolizing the hidden aspects of childhood experience. Blackman uses the semiotics of colour to enhance the emotional depth of the painting. The contrast between the bright innocence of the child and the imposing darkness of the shadow destabilizes conventional notions. It allows us to question the binary oppositions between safety and threat, presence and absence. Ultimately, *The Shadow* challenges viewers to confront the complexities of perception. It suggests that what we see on the surface is only a partial glimpse of a deeper, more complex reality.