Manydjarri Ganambarr in Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia at Harvard’s Fogg Museum. Photo by bdavisdiary.
Djambarrpuyngu Marna, 1996. Earth pigments on bark
This work depicts the story of Marna, the ancestral shark. When the shark was speared, it crashed into the coast as it died, merging with the landscape. In the lower portion of the painting, the shark is shown in the moments after it is speared. In the upper portion, the shark merges with the geometric background as it transforms into the landscape. The geometric patterned background is created by a dense cross-hatching technique in alternating colors.
Detail:
Manydjarri Ganambarr in Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia at Harvard’s Fogg Museum. Photo by bdavisdiary.
How can we apply knowledge of ancient myths to historical reconstruction? Just read this other post on aboriginal Australian myth: Gunyah and the Sacred Fish story from “The Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough” Ep. 1.
Source: bdavisdiary.tumblr.com
