ABORIGINAL footballers have been immortalised on canvas in a collage commissioned by the AFL to celebrate the game's 150th year.
Melbourne artist Jamie Cooper has created a 5m x 2.5m painting to depict 150 years of Australian football, titled The Game That Made Australia, and the result is a sensational piece that captures key moments in the game from 1858 to the present day.
The work, which took six months to complete, features three 'chapters' over the past 150 years.
Football great Polly Farmer is depicted in a ruck duel with another great, Ron Barrassi. Farmer transformed football with his use of handball as an attacking weapon.
Former St Kilda great Nicky Winmar's powerful gesture, where he lifted his jumper and pointed to his skin in reaction to racist taunts by hostile Collingwood fans in 1993, features prominently. That gesture, which made headlines around the country, forced the AFL into a proactive stance on race relations in the game, leading to its ground-breaking Racial (and Religious) Vilification policy.
A scene from a game in central Australia stands out due to its rich, red desert sands which make the oval. That game features former great Michael Long's Essendon and St Mary's. "So many Indigenous players have made the journey from sacred ground to the hallowed turf, and our games is all the richer for it," is the accompanying text with that image.
And Sydney star forward Michael O'Loughlin's spontaneous goal celebrations up close to opposition fans is also depicted.
This week, noted Adelaide artist Megan Roodenrys' Saltwater Man, depicting Adelaide Crows champion Andrew McLeod was unveiled ahead of the champion's 300th game on Sunday.
Cooper, a former defender with the Fitzroy Lions, was commissioned in 2005 to paint a portrait of the AFL's Indigenous Team of the Century.
* The Game That Made Australia will be displayed in the foyer of AFL House at Telstra Dome.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Friday, August 8, 2008
Last Modified on 09/08/2008 00:11