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Item
#: Clifford74 Click picture for Enlargement
Lake Napperby
Size: 213cm x 121cm
Price: US$enquire
Item
#: lightening Click picture for Enlargement
Lightening Dreaming
Size: 152cm x 111cm
Price: US$enquire
About the Artist: Clifford Possum was born in 1932 on Napperby Station. He worked extensively as a stockman on the cattle stations in and around his traditional country. During this time he developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dreaming Trails that criss-cross the area to the north of the western McDonnell Ranges, which he depicts in painting his Dreamings. His career as an artist began in the 50's when he carved snakes and goannas. By the 70's he was one of the most accomplished carvers in Central Australia. His first opportunity to paint came when one of Albert Namatjira's sons gave him acrylic paints and the master began his work. Clifford, living at the Papunya Community was one of the first artists to be involved with the Aboriginal Art Movement.
The art of Clifford Possum is notable for its brilliant manipulation of three-dimensional space. Many of his canvasses have strong figurative elements that stand out from the highly descriptive background dotting. In the late 70's he expanded the scope of Papunya Tula painting by placing the trails of several ancestors on the same canvas in the fashion of a road map. Within this framework, he depicted the land geographically. This laid the foundation for traditional Aboriginal Iconography to be placed on canvas
Clifford is one of the most renowned Aboriginal Artists of his time. He was the chairman of the Papunya Tula Artists from the 1970's to the 1980's.
