Yirawala: Artist And Man
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Among the great masters of Australian Aboriginal art, few figures command as much reverence and mystery as Yirawala — the Kunwinjku bark painter from Arnhem Land whose intricate X-ray style works brought an ancient visual language to the attention of the wider world. Yirawala: Artist and Man chronicles the life and creative legacy of this extraordinary elder, presenting an intimate portrait of a man deeply rooted in ceremony, Country, and the spiritual traditions of his people. Sandra Holmes, who developed a close personal relationship with Yirawala over many years, details his artistic process, his role within his community, and the sacred meanings encoded within his remarkable compositions of fish, spirits, and ancestral beings. This work stands as a landmark document at the intersection of biography, anthropology, and art history, offering one of the most sustained and respectful examinations of an Aboriginal artist produced in the twentieth century. Holmes writes with quiet authority and genuine cultural sensitivity, illuminating the tension between Yirawala's deep traditionalism and the growing outside interest in his work — a tension that raises enduring questions about ownership, authenticity, and the commodification of Indigenous art. For anyone seeking to understand the spiritual and aesthetic foundations of one of Australia's most important artistic traditions, this volume remains an indispensable — and quietly revelatory — guide.
Author: Sandra Holmes
Format: Hardback
Published: 1972, Jacaranda Press
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Among the great masters of Australian Aboriginal art, few figures command as much reverence and mystery as Yirawala — the Kunwinjku bark painter from Arnhem Land whose intricate X-ray style works brought an ancient visual language to the attention of the wider world. Yirawala: Artist and Man chronicles the life and creative legacy of this extraordinary elder, presenting an intimate portrait of a man deeply rooted in ceremony, Country, and the spiritual traditions of his people. Sandra Holmes, who developed a close personal relationship with Yirawala over many years, details his artistic process, his role within his community, and the sacred meanings encoded within his remarkable compositions of fish, spirits, and ancestral beings. This work stands as a landmark document at the intersection of biography, anthropology, and art history, offering one of the most sustained and respectful examinations of an Aboriginal artist produced in the twentieth century. Holmes writes with quiet authority and genuine cultural sensitivity, illuminating the tension between Yirawala's deep traditionalism and the growing outside interest in his work — a tension that raises enduring questions about ownership, authenticity, and the commodification of Indigenous art. For anyone seeking to understand the spiritual and aesthetic foundations of one of Australia's most important artistic traditions, this volume remains an indispensable — and quietly revelatory — guide.