Cassidy Possum Tjapaltjarri
Encyclopedia
Cassidy Possum Tjapaltjarri (1923 – 25 February 2006) was an Australia
n Aboriginal spokesman, tribal elder and well known visual artist.
He was born at Napperby in the Northern Territory
around 1923. It is unclear exactly when he started painting, however, he was a regular painter during his many years as a pensioner at Mount Allan. He was one of the most flamboyant figures in this small community and was an elder of the Anmatyerre tribe. His traditional country covered a large tract of land (several thousand square miles) and included many important dreaming sites. His artwork and art themes were taken from his country and included caterpillar, men's love story, possum and men's dreamings.
Cassidy's full brother was Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
, one of the most famous of all "first generation" contemporary Indigenous Australian art
ists. Clifford died in mid-2002.
Since Clifford died Cassidy painted what he called "circle" dreaming which was part of powerful dreaming story that was used in the sand paintings to bring Clifford home. These paintings were interspersed with the Possum Dreaming which he inherited from Clifford. These two dreamings were dramatically different in their construction, composition and colours to all of his earlier paintings. Cassidy was one of the first generation artists who painted important and powerful dreamings that preserved his culture.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Aboriginal spokesman, tribal elder and well known visual artist.
He was born at Napperby in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
around 1923. It is unclear exactly when he started painting, however, he was a regular painter during his many years as a pensioner at Mount Allan. He was one of the most flamboyant figures in this small community and was an elder of the Anmatyerre tribe. His traditional country covered a large tract of land (several thousand square miles) and included many important dreaming sites. His artwork and art themes were taken from his country and included caterpillar, men's love story, possum and men's dreamings.
Cassidy's full brother was Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was an Australian painter, considered to be one of the most collected and renowned Australian Aboriginal artists...
, one of the most famous of all "first generation" contemporary Indigenous Australian art
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians. It is generally regarded as beginning with a painting movement that started at Papunya, northwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in 1971, involving artists such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri...
ists. Clifford died in mid-2002.
Since Clifford died Cassidy painted what he called "circle" dreaming which was part of powerful dreaming story that was used in the sand paintings to bring Clifford home. These paintings were interspersed with the Possum Dreaming which he inherited from Clifford. These two dreamings were dramatically different in their construction, composition and colours to all of his earlier paintings. Cassidy was one of the first generation artists who painted important and powerful dreamings that preserved his culture.
See also
- Australian Aboriginal ArtAustralian Aboriginal artIndigenous Australian art is art made by the Indigenous peoples of Australia and in collaborations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians . It includes works in a wide range of media including painting on leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, ceremonial clothing and sandpainting...
- Papunya TulaPapunya TulaPapunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...