Overview

In 1971, a hopeful young art teacher drove the long, lonely road from Alice Springs to the Aboriginal outpost settlement at Papunya. His name was Geoffrey Bardon. Eighteen months later he left Papunya, defeated by the hostile white authority. But his legacy was the beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement and the inspiration for this fascinating account of Bardon's experiences and the Aboriginal art of Papunya. What started as an exercise to encourage the Aboriginal schoolchildren to record their sand patterns and games grew to involve, at the peak of creativity, as many as 30 tribal men and elders. With Geoffrey Bardon's encouragement, these men worked to preserve their traditional Dreamings and stories in paint. The artistic movement unleashed at Papunya spread over Central Australia and has since achieved international acclaim. Papunya: A Place Made After the Story is a first-hand account of the artists and the works emanating from Papunya. Bardon's exquisitely recorded notes and drawings are here reproduced showing his extensive documentation of the early stages of the painting movement. This book features over 500 paintings, drawings and photographs from Bardon's personal archive. Many of the images have never been seen before and many of the paintings are now lost. The publication of this material is an unprecedented achievement, and Bardon can now be seen as the catalyst he was for a powerfully modern expression of an ancient indigenous way of seeing the world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Geoffrey Bardon ,  James Bardon
Publisher:   Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
Imprint:   Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 24.50cm , Height: 4.40cm , Length: 30.00cm
Weight:   2.994kg
ISBN:  

9780853319474

ISBN 10:   0853319472
Pages:   552
Publication Date:   28 August 2006
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

Contents: Foreword, Hetti Perkins; Foreword, Robert Edwards; Acknowledgements; Explanatory notes; Preface, James Bardon; Introduction: the interpretation of the dreams, Paul Carter; Introduction: a way into the continent, Geoffrey Bardon; Personal Beginnings: 'The beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement' - The children come first, February-June 1971; The men and the murals, June-August 1971; The men's story, April-December 1971; The great painting room: like warriors of old, February-July 1972; The making of Papunya Tula, September 1971-July 1972; 'The structure and meaning of the paintings' - Meaning, approach and archetypes; Hieroglyphs; 'Subject matter and meaning and the importance of the idea of story' - Water dreamings; Travelling dreamings; Fire, spirit, myth and medicine dreamings; Bush tucker stories; Women's dreamings; Ritual dance dreamings; My country (homeland) dreamings; The children's stories; 'The lives of the painters'; 'Afterword: At Papunya, 1990-1991'; Selected Catalogue: Archetypes and hieroglyphs; The school and the school murals; Water dreamings; Travelling dreamings; Fire, spirit, myth and medicine dreamings; Bush tucker stories; Women's dreamings; Ritual dance dreamings; My country (homeland) dreamings; The children's stories; Epilogue: encounters with Geoff Bardon, Jennifer Isaacs; Valedictory: Remembering Geoffrey Bardon, Judith Ryan; Glossary; Bibliography; Index of paintings; Index of artists; General index.

Reviews

'This book is a kind of bible of Aboriginal art. It is grandiose in scale, defining in its pictorial record and rich in narrative momentum.' The Age '...recommended for all libraries because of its important contribution to the understanding of art, culture, and modern history as well as because of its stunning visual presentation.' Library Journal

'This book is a kind of bible of Aboriginal art. It is grandiose in scale, defining in its pictorial record and rich in narrative momentum' - The Sydney Morning Herald

Author Information

Geoffrey Bardon studied law and art education. In 1971, he took up a posting to Papunya in the Northern Territory, Australia. He worked closely with the Aboriginal painters who became the founders of the Papunya Tula painting movement during 1971 to 1973. He died in 2003. His brother James helped realise this, Geoffrey's last book and has been associated, alongside his brother, with Western Desert art for many years.

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