Bark Painting

The donors purchased the painting from the artist, at the Miligimbi Mission. The funeral of Gurrmirringu is a dominant feature of many of Malangi’s paintings. His depiction of this story was reproduced on the reverse of the Australian one dollar note.

Large bark painting depicting the mortuary scene of hunter Gurrmirringu, after his death by poisonous snake bite. The bark is rectangular, undulating across the surface, painted brown-red. At centre a scene shows a tall central figure lying with legs slightly spread, forearms dangling from elbows, torso and neck decorated with body paint in linear and crosshatch patters of dark yellow, black and white. A long snake lies next to him, head angled toward the hunter’s face. To the sides and top squat three singers, painted black, outlined in dark yellow and white, and shown without body paint. They hold clap sticks and a didgeridoo. Between the figures are burial goods painted with dots and lines. Around the scene are trees with thick foliage, leaves in yellow and black, and black vines.