작품 상세

Cooee Art Indigenous Fine Art Auction "David Malangi, began painting in the early 1960s, and played a vital role in the development of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement. During his lifetime, he became one of the great inspirational figures of Arnhem Land art. While for many older Australians, he is best known for the image that featured on the now defunct one-dollar note, he was also a travelling ambassador for his country and his people, achieving world wide recognition for his innovative yet deeply tradition-based bark paintings. In this work, Malangi has depicted the funeral of the first man, the hunter Gurrmirringu, who lies in state surrounded by seated song men with clapsticks ensuring that the ancestral spirit arrives safely at its final destination. Surrounding the group are remnants of the funeral feast. The white berry tree, with its ordered rows of berries and leaves, structures and frames the picture while nearby lurks Dharpa, the King Brown Snake, the evil spirit whose bite killed Gurrmirringu. This image depicts the occasion of the first death and how Gurrmirringu+IBk-s spirit came to watch over Malangi's Manyarrngu people. During the 1970s and 1980s David Malangi began to take aspects of the Gurrmirringu myth and explore new compositional possibilities in individual paintings, often setting the scene with the plants and animals before the grand event. His style was unmistakable due to its masterly draughtsmanship, rich natural pigments and captivating composition." Contact Cooee Art for more information on this Aboriginal artwork.