Bevan Haywood Final Showdown

Bevan Haywood, The Final Showdown

The Artist,

Bevan Haywood, also known as Pooraraar was born in was born in Gnowangerup, Western Australia in 1939. He took up art in his late forties having completed a two year i Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art course in Cairns in 1987. According to Tess Allas, her contribution to Bevan's biography in the Design and Art Australia online,  in 1988 he commenced an Associate Diploma in Printmaking at the School of Art, Canberra which he transferred to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Printmaking at the same school in 1989. Hayward’s prints depict Aboriginal life and bush spirits. He has shown in a number of national and international exhibitions including “Decorative Arts 1985-1988” at the Drill Hall Gallery, ACT in 1988 and the “18th International Biennial of Graphic Art in Contemporary Trends” in Yugoslavia in 1989.  In 1990 Pooraraar won the Michelton National Prize for print making. His prints are in the permanent collections of the Queensland Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia and the Heytesbury Holding Collection in WA.

The Work of Art

The Final Showdown is a black and white lino cut print (this edition is the artist's proof) from a limited run of forty. The print was made in 1987 and was probably created for the book of great poems by Geoffrey Page, (published in 1996). Similar prints in style, theme and size can be found at the National Gallery of Australia.The work shows a gawana  and snake in long tufts of grass. The gawana seems to have the upper hand  taking up the majority of the composition and its tail rearing up like a snake itself.

References:

Tess Allas, Bevan Haywood entry: https://www.daao.org.au/bio/bevan-hayward/biography/ accessesd 20/04/2020

Centre for Australian Art: http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/artists/3509/

National Museum of Australia: Collections Search: Bevan Haywood: http://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/set/2450