Untitled, c.1985

natural earth pigments on bark

$6,000

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Purchased by William (Bill) McDonald directly from Dorothy Bennett. Thence by descent, private collection NSW
Artwork story: This is a painting of the Milky Way. Mawalan was the owner of this myth, and when he died he passed it on to his younger son. In the Dreamtime two men went out fishing and caught a crocodile. On the way back their canoe was overturned by a big wave, and both men drowned. The body of one of the men was washed up on the shore, together with that of the crocodile. All the fish escaped back into the sea. The body of the other man was taken by a big creature with giant claws and a large mouth like a whale. All the people on the beach held a corroboree in honour of the dead man, and at the end of the singing and dancing the bodies of the man and the crocodile went up into the sky, where the crocodile formed the basis of the Milky Way. Then the dancers and singers, the fish and stingray and the bark canoe were drawn up into the sky, and formed the stars which can be seen on and around the Milky Way today.

Click to enlarge

natural earth pigments on bark

$6,000

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Purchased by William (Bill) McDonald directly from Dorothy Bennett. Thence by descent, private collection NSW
Artwork story: This is a painting of the Milky Way. Mawalan was the owner of this myth, and when he died he passed it on to his younger son. In the Dreamtime two men went out fishing and caught a crocodile. On the way back their canoe was overturned by a big wave, and both men drowned. The body of one of the men was washed up on the shore, together with that of the crocodile. All the fish escaped back into the sea. The body of the other man was taken by a big creature with giant claws and a large mouth like a whale. All the people on the beach held a corroboree in honour of the dead man, and at the end of the singing and dancing the bodies of the man and the crocodile went up into the sky, where the crocodile formed the basis of the Milky Way. Then the dancers and singers, the fish and stingray and the bark canoe were drawn up into the sky, and formed the stars which can be seen on and around the Milky Way today.