Painting on eucalyptus bark by Galuna Maymuru. Traditionally, bark paintings were ephemeral objects, created for ceremonial purposes. The designs shared many similarities with Indigenous Australian rock art and body decoration, referencing spiritual ancestors and their dream time adventures. Contemporary bark paintings are a living art form; and while the images are shared freely, the more subtle, spiritual meanings are closely-held.
Galuna Maymuru (1951-2018) was an Indigenous Australian artist and a respected elder of the Maŋgalili clan. Her work is partly inspired by the magnificent flora and fauna of Blue Mud Bay, near her home in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. She learned to paint from her father, Narritjin, who shared with her sacred ancestral stories and designs that were previously the exclusive domain of initiated men. Maymuru devoted her first solo show (at the William Mora Galleries in Melbourne, 1999) to her father (the two are seen together in the second image).
Maymuru's work resides in important private and public collections, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Museum of Australia, the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, and the Sydney Opera House.
Tempera on Eucalyptus bark. Dated 1984. 32" x 12 1/2".
Painting on eucalyptus bark by Galuna Maymuru. Traditionally, bark paintings were ephemeral objects, created for ceremonial purposes. The designs shared many similarities with Indigenous Australian rock art and body decoration, referencing spiritual ancestors and their dream time adventures. Contemporary bark paintings are a living art form; and while the images are shared freely, the more subtle, spiritual meanings are closely-held.
Galuna Maymuru (1951-2018) was an Indigenous Australian artist and a respected elder of the Maŋgalili clan. Her work is partly inspired by the magnificent flora and fauna of Blue Mud Bay, near her home in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. She learned to paint from her father, Narritjin, who shared with her sacred ancestral stories and designs that were previously the exclusive domain of initiated men. Maymuru devoted her first solo show (at the William Mora Galleries in Melbourne, 1999) to her father (the two are seen together in the second image).
Maymuru's work resides in important private and public collections, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Museum of Australia, the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, and the Sydney Opera House.
Tempera on Eucalyptus bark. Dated 1984. 32" x 12 1/2".
