Natives carrying wounded

Sali Herman was the only émigré artist ever to be appointed as an official war artist in Australia. Leaving Zurich in 1937, he was part of an early exodus in response to the rise of Fascism, anti-semitism and war threatening Europe. Resettling in Melbourne, Australia, his war works provide a fresh perspective on Australia's involvement in the late stages of the pacific campaign.

'Natives carrying wounded' is strongly reminiscent of Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian paintings. Like Gauguin, he has captured a perceived exotic quality of the tropical land and its indigenous people in his use of colour and simplified forms. This work focuses on the popular subject of Papuan stretcher-bearers. With a dramatic sense of movement that draws the viewer across the picture plane, it powerfully conveys the notion of personal sacrifice for the sake of another. The Papuans, heroes in their own right, risked their lives carrying wounded soldiers to safety through dangerous areas. The painting won the prestigious Sulman Prize in 1946.