<
https://theconversation.com/paddy-compass-namadbara-for-the-first-time-we-can-name-an-artist-who-created-bark-paintings-in-arnhem-land-in-the-1910s-180243>
"For students of Australian art and art collectors around the globe, Arnhem
Land is synonymous with bark painting: sheets of tree bark carefully prepared
as a canvas for painting by Aboriginal artists.
Bark painters such as John Mawurndjul and Yirawala are some of the most
internationally renowned and sought-after Australian artists.
As the market for bark paintings emerged in the early 20th century, recording
the name of individual artists was far from the collector’s mind. Museums and
art galleries are full of early artworks, sometimes attributed to particular
“clans” or geographic areas, but rarely including the name of the artists.
Such collections are routinely named after the collector rather than the
creators. One such collection, the Spencer/Cahill Collection at Museums
Victoria, is the focus for our ongoing research project.
The Spencer/Cahill Collection is vast and includes many precious objects
collected by Sir Baldwin Spencer when he visited Oenpelli (Gunbalanya),
Northern Territory in 1912. He later acquired further artworks and objects via
his “on the ground” contact, buffalo shooter Paddy Cahill.
Our project’s main focus is the approximately 170 bark paintings commissioned
at Oenpelli between 1912 and 1922."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
