Experience at The Fralin Museum of Charlottesville
David Malangi Daymirringu | Michael Krueger
Murayana the Yirritja Honey Man | Changing of the Guards
1989 | 2012
Natural ochres on wood, feathers, and resin | Lithograph
1990.7008.029 | 2013.4 My Experience at the Fralin Museum
The Fralin Museum of Art in Charlottesville wasn’t like any museum I’ve ever gone too. My experience at the Fralin was subpar when compared to my expectations. In such a modest building the rooms had large open ceilings which made the museum feel superior to what it actually was. The Fralin’s collection was inferior to what I originally thought it was going to be. However, each room that I walked into had a discrete atmosphere that went along with each section of artwork. As I first walk in I was hit with a wide open room that was illuminated with light that made me feel overwhelmed. The light complemented the pieces of …show more content…
This room had nothing but photographs all around. They had a huge section of the wall that was compacted with different photographs of the same time period. As I moved across the wall and continued to walk I was hit in the face with a stunning, beautifully carved archway. This archway led into an itsy-bitsy chamber that was filled the shelves and glass. On the shelves were pieces of art from all over the world, where I found my first piece of artwork that I absolutely loved. David Malangi Daymirringu’s piece Murayana the Yirritja Honey Man is a life-size painted wood carving. The organic figure stands almost seven-foot-tall, including the base which it was standing on, with a beautifully painted body. The figure has feathers on top of its head and its eyes are chiseled out. The aboriginal figure is detailed with markings along its whole body. Even though the figure is organic it has a geometric feel to it. The head is square, the body is square and each leg is simplified into cone