[Study, Dayak warrior, Limbang area, Sarawak I]

Depicts a figure study of a Dyak warrior from the Limbang area in Sarawak during the Second World War. The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the interior of Borneo, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture. The painting for which this study was made was published on the cover of the 'Australian Women's Weekly' magazine on 20 October 1945. William Edwin Pidgeon ('WEP') (1909-1981) was a painter, cartoonist, illustrator and newspaper critic. In 1926 as a 16 yr old, he became a cadet newspaper artist with the 'Sunday News' and began his professional career working for a number of newspapers. During the Second World War, he became a war correspondant with Consolidated Press, contributing illustrations that were published in the 'Australian Women's Weekly' magazine. His images, with their sardonic humour, richly conveyed the lives and personalities of Australian troops during the Second World War.