Discovery of the Land of X-ray Art
Artist
Danny Eastwood
(1943)
Datec 2002
Object number00045833
NamePainting
MediumAcrylic on canvas, stapled to wooden stretcher.
DimensionsOverall: 1220 × 915 × 20 mm
Image: 1220 × 915 mm
Image: 1220 × 915 mm
Copyright© Danny Eastwood
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA painting by artist Yatama Nigimali (Danny Eastwood) depicting Captain Cook and HMB ENDEAVOUR titled 'Discovery of the Land of X-ray Art'.
Central to this work is a profile view of Cook's ship ENDEAVOUR, with the body of the ship shown in x-ray view depicting the different compartments, stores, goods, activities and sailors below deck. Behind and above the ship is a portarit of Cook; to the right a goanna painted in x-ray style.
This work combines the two threads of Indigenous and European history; and the two styles of European and Indigenous art.
HistoryYatama Nigimali (Danny Eastwood) has been an artist since he was 4 years old. He attended TAFE where he learnt drawing, printing and teaching. He later taught at TAFE and currently teaches art at correctional centres and schools and has been commisioned for artworks to be displayed in his local community such as public murals, the entrance to the Nurragingy Reserve at Blacktown and an Aboriginal tree artwork at Ashfield Park.
Nigimali was New South Wales Aboriginal Artist of the Year in 1992, won the National Aboriginal Artist of the Year Award in 1993, the New South Wales Parliamentary Art Prize in 2008 and a finalist in the recent 2012 Parliament of New South Wales Aboriginal Art Prize. He is currently a cartoonist artist for Koori Mail.
Captain James Cook's three voyages to the Pacific Ocean led to the British claiming the east coast of Australia and the European discovery of many Pacific Islands. Cook also made contact with many Indigenous cultures in the South Pacific, leading to important anthropological discoveries. His extensive report about Botany Bay, including the safeness of the harbour and availability of fresh water, quickly became the 'sign post' for Captain Arthur Phillip who landed with the First Fleet on 18 January 1788.
Bringing together Indigenous art with European events which impacted greatly on the Australian Indigenous population makes this painting significant as it is the history behind the painting rather than the painting itself that captures the viewer's attention.
SignificanceThis work by Yatama Nigimali work highlights the interplay between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures. It relates to the navigator Captain James Cook and the Indigenous perceptions of European explorers and their ships.
