Alisha and I recently returned from Australia. At Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art we were captivate by the work of aboriginal artist John Mawurndjul one of Arnhem Land’s experimental bark artists.
Three Arnhem Land Bark Painting
The expansive exhibit features the stringy bark paintings by John Mawurndjul and a collection of bark paintings by other Arnhem Land artists. A video plays in a gallery showing John cutting the bark from the stringy eucalyptus tree and curing it over a fire. He grinds and mixes his paints from earth pigments. Iron, yellow ochre, charcoal and white clay make up his earth tone palate. Traditionally, the pigments were fixed with a sap or plant juice binder but modern binders are often used today. Cross-hatching is a distinctive feature of John’s work applied with a fine human hair brush.
Cross-hatching detail – Arnhem Land Bark Painting
Some subject elements of these paintings are obivious depictions of men, animals and plants while others contain symbolic and abstract elements that identify a clan or tell a complex dreamtime story of a creator spirit.
Cylindrical Bark Painting Installation
Rainbow Serpent bark painting
I am especially drawn to the images of the rainbow serpents and the saltwater crocodiles, appropriate subjects for my ‘September Snake and Reptile’ newsletter.
Saltwater Crocodile Bark Painting
Fish Bark Painting
Turtle Bark Painting
Alisha and I are captivated by the subtleties and complexities of the art and visit the exhibit twice during our brief time in Sydney.