Abaya

Portrait of Abaya, from Daru, Western Papua with palm trees in background. Abaya worked for the Royal Papuan Constabulary. This portrait featured in R Curtis, 'Papuan Profiles: inside a Prison Yard', Walkabout, 1 January 1945, pp.22-21. It was one of two drawn by the artist on a visit to a prison camp while on active service with the Camouflage unit. In the article he recalled that Abaya was not a willing model and '...squatted on the edge of a box while I drew his extraordinary profile. He only grunted when I showed him the result and strode angrily away.' In his article Curtis compares his profiles of the two men from an anthropologist's point of view.

In 1942, Curtis was appointed Officer in Charge of Camouflage in New Guinea. As well as recording the activities of the Australian and American troops, Curtis took every opportunity to visit local villages, creating a series of portraits of Papuan Islanders. Several of these drawings were used to illustrate short articles Curtis contributed to the Australian magazine 'Walkabout', and provide insight into the experiences of local civilians working for Australian troops or displaced by the conflict. Generally, the articles were observations on 'native' life, including marriage, wood carving, and body adornment, however Curtis also commented on distinguishing physiological features of individuals from different tribes.

Curtis was appointed as an official war artist in March 1945, covering the civil and industrial war effort in Australia.