User:C craig06/Curly Bardkadubbu

Curly Bardkadubbu (1924-1987) is a Kunwinjku artist that was born in the Kamarrang subsection of the Naborn clan of the Marrkolidjban estate on the Liverpool River (the Liverpool River is notorious for the high density of dangerous crocodiles ). Bardkadubbu was best known for his crocodile paintings on eucalyptus bark.

Biography
Not much is known of Bardkadubbu's early life, one major reason for the lack of official record keeping and a second reason is that Bardkadubbu did not start painting until comparatively later than his contemporaries. Bardkadubbu did not rise to prominence in the art scene until the late 1970s when he was in his mid-forties to low-fifties. In the late 1970s, Bardkadubbu was tutored in painting by Yirawala when they shared an outstation at Table Hill and Marrkolidjban, which both men helped to establish.

Being so close to this river may be the cause of Bardkaddubbu's best known depictions -- Namanjwarre the Crocodile. Later in Bardkadubbu's life, he would move to Namokarabu (an estate in the Liverpool River region), where his life would come to an end in the year 1987 at the age of 62 or 63 (the reason his exact age is undetermined is because of the lack of records indicating Bardkadubbu's date of birth and subsequently date of death).

Artistic Career
Bardkadubbu's work has been selected for numerous major exhibitions in Australia and abroad, including: Art of Aboriginal Australia, which toured North America from 1974 to 1976; and Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition at the National Gallery of Australia in 1989. Additionally, Bardkadubbu was entered for the National Aboriginal Art Award of 1984 that was established by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. One of Bardkadubbu's most known work, Namanjwarre the Estuarine Crocodile, was included in the exhibition Old Masters: Australia's Great Bark Artist, organized by the National Museum of Australia.

Style
Bardkadubbu started painting much later than his contemporaries. Because of this he used large barks (up to a meter in length) to make up for his lack of precision from starting painting later. Most of Bardkadubbu's subjects in his paintings were animals, specifically barramundi, crocodiles, and kangaroos, with crocodiles being the most painted subject over Bardkadubbu's career. Occasionally he would paint spirits, skeletons, and the rainbow serpent as well. In comparison to Yirawala, Bardkadubbu's animals tended to be much more fatter and less dynamic. Yirawala and Bardkadubbu have the same style of infill in that they both leave space between the rarrk.

Northern Land Council Logo
The Northern Land Council's logo is derived from altering Bardkadubbu's painting Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent. Bardkadubbu allowed the Northern Land Council to modify Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent for their logo; in return Bardkadubbu was monetarily compensated via copyright fee for his decision. The logo adapted Bardkadubbu's painting by rotating Ngalyold the Rainbow Serpent ninety degrees clockwise and changing the water serpent's head. The colors were also slightly enhanced to pop more, but the general shape of the water serpent's body nor the interior crosshatching changed.

Works Sold at Auctions

 * Kandakidji (Kangaroo)
 * Untitled (Rock Wallaby Hunt)
 * Namangwarri - Salt Water Crocodile
 * Salt Water Crocodile
 * Rainbow Serpent
 * Ngalkunburriyaymi (The Female Rainbow Serpent)
 * Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent
 * Oenpelli, Western Arnhem Land
 * Yawkyawk
 * Two Works: Saratoga Fish
 * Namangurr (Barramundi) and Mimi Spirit
 * Namangurr (Barramundi)
 * Yawk Yawk Spirit
 * Saltwater Crocodiles
 * Kundagi, the Kangaroo
 * Luma Luma
 * Barramundi with Totem Design
 * Kunmalng - Dead Person's Spirit