Life and Art of Western Arnhem Land Artist Bardayal 'Lofty' Nadjamerrek AO

Abstract

Bardayal began painting on rock on the Arnhem Plateau in the early 1930s and later moved on to paint commercially on bark and other mediums. Developing a deep love of country from his early life on the plateau, he shaped, and was shaped by, significant change and events occurring during his life (c.1926-2009). Bardayal was recognised for his art, deep cultural knowledge, and vision through an Order of Australia in 2004. This biography explores Bardayal's art through the historical and cultural context in which he produced it. I seek to document his legacy and to help overcome the significant paucity of detailed knowledge about the lives and art of individual Aboriginal artists and the trajectory of their careers. The biography is a case study in applying interdisciplinary research methods, including oral history, art history and anthropology to enable the meaningful writing about Aboriginal art that it deserves. The method draws on archival material, interviews, field work and formal examination of Bardayal's life works and those of his contemporaries and ancestors. The thesis traces the interactions between Bardayal's life and art and the evolution of the Aboriginal art market. Colonisation and the nature of the art market had an impact, but he was an active agent who ploughed his own path. Love of country and determination to keep it alive was a critical, but not the only, determinant of the form and content of his paintings. Bardayal was regarded as a 'traditionalist' through his adherence to the rock art style found on his country. However, I argue that Bardayal was very alert to new ideas and astute about how to capitalise on them. His art style and materials were sensitive to various elements of context and evolved over time. Show more