Banda - Long-necked Tortoise, 1988

natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark

67 x 34 cm

$2,500

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Lawsons, Sydney, February, 1990 The Collection of Milton and Alma Roxanas, Sydney Bonhams, May 2014, Lot 42
Artwork story: The waterways and flood plains of the Cadell River country provided Banggala with his lifelong subjects. The sites of his clan lands are home to a number of totemic beings, among them the long-necked turtle, mullet, barramundi, water lily and crocodile, and it is these freshwater beings that move through his work. Here the turtle is painted with the strong line, bold design and purposeful symmetry that define his hand, achieved with a broad rather than fine brush. In keeping with his distinctive approach, the rarrk crosshatching is confined to clearly defined areas of the body in the manner of ritual body painting, set against areas of plain ground, a restraint that reflects his ties to the stylistic traditions of south-central Arnhem Land.

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c. 1925 – 2001

natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark

67 x 34 cm

$2,500

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Lawsons, Sydney, February, 1990 The Collection of Milton and Alma Roxanas, Sydney Bonhams, May 2014, Lot 42
Artwork story: The waterways and flood plains of the Cadell River country provided Banggala with his lifelong subjects. The sites of his clan lands are home to a number of totemic beings, among them the long-necked turtle, mullet, barramundi, water lily and crocodile, and it is these freshwater beings that move through his work. Here the turtle is painted with the strong line, bold design and purposeful symmetry that define his hand, achieved with a broad rather than fine brush. In keeping with his distinctive approach, the rarrk crosshatching is confined to clearly defined areas of the body in the manner of ritual body painting, set against areas of plain ground, a restraint that reflects his ties to the stylistic traditions of south-central Arnhem Land.