DESIGNS ASSOCIATED WITH BIRIMBIRA(THE THUNDER SPIRITS), 1961
natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark
103.5 x 39.0 cm (irregular)
Estimate:
$6,000 - 8,000
Provenance
Private collection, Melbourne
Related works
The Thunder Spirits (Birimbira), 1961, natural pigments on bark, 150.2 x 60.4 cm, Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, illus. in Perkins, H., Art + Soul, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2010, p. 235
In this painting Mungurrawuy shows the Gumatj ancestors as two black serpents shooting bolts of lightning from their mouths. The triangular shapes at the top and bottom of the painting represent thunderclouds. The different species of marine creatures that emerge after the rain are revealed and the patterns of crosshatched clan designs (miny'tji) surrounding the stingray and the crocodile symbolises the sea.
