Mandidi | Mandidja | Mandidaidai Bark paintings
Mandidi also called Mandidja or Mandidaidai . He was an early bark painter in the Oenpelli region. He only has a few known works because he died before bark painting became commercial.
The aim of this article is to assist readers in identifying if their aboriginal bark painting is by Mandidi / Mandidja / Mandidaidai. It compares the few known examples of his work. He painted in an Oenpelli Bark Painting style
If you have a Mandidi / Mandidja /Mandidaidai bark painting to sell please contact me. If you just want to know what your bark painting is worth to me please feel free to send me a Jpeg. I would love to see it.
Style
He painted bark paintings in an archaic style full of power and spirituality. Only a few examples of his work a known but they are so powerful I think he deserves recognition as an important artist. Both barks have irregular edges and have an early collection date. He died before barks were commercially collected in the 1960s which accounts for why so few of his work exist.
Both barks deal with figures from the spirit world and are on an ochre background with white kaolin figures covered in fine red dots. His work exhibits a freedom and flow that I find highly desirable in a great bark painting. His art is typical of earlier paintings found in Arnhemland Rock Art.
Infilling figures with dots is stylistically similar to Kukabarnka artist Mick Kubarkku.
His bark paintings can only really be compared to other very early Oenpelli artists like Spider Namirrki, Nadjombolmi or Nym Djimurrgurr.
Biography
Mandidi belonged to the Kunwinjku people in Western Arnhem Land and was born around 1900 and died in 1963. Along with many other Arnhem Land Artists who did bark paintings, there is not a lot of information available about Mandidi /Mandidja. If anyone knows more information about the biography of Mandidi / Mandidja please contact me as I would like to add it to this article.
Mandidja is sometimes called Diidja
Care for Aboriginal Bark Painting by ensuring it always stays dry and does not move as ochres can flake off. A bark painting is best stored in a dust-free place and away from insects.
All images in this article are for educational purposes only.
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Western Arnhem land Artists and Artworks
Mandidi bark paintings / Mandidja bark paintings / Mandidaidai Bark Painting images
The following images are not a complete list of the artist’s works but give some idea of his style and variety.
