Albert Namatjira

Albert Namatjira

Albert Namatjira | Arrernte (Aranda) language group Australia 1902-1959 | The Finke River Gorge at entrance to Glen Helen c.1945-53 Watercolour and gouache over pencil | on thick wove paper | 53.4 x 36.8cm | Gift of Lady Trout 1981 Collection: Queensland Art Gallery © Legend Press

I really enjoy the work of Albert Namatjira, mainly because I love the Australian landscape, and that is his major subject matter  of most of his paintings. I think his use of watercolors, to create such realistic landscapes  is amazing as I know how hard they can be to work with compared to oil based paints where you can simply pain over and change details with comparative ease. I think his use of colour is simplistic, understated and provided a rather accurate yet somehow romantic portrayal of the Australian outback. I particularly like the way he uses a blue hue to represent the distance of far away mountain ranges not only is it accurate but is joins the landscape with the sky which I find is a primary aspect of the landscape. It is also interesting to me that after his success as an artist became substantial that he chose to (as he was expected to do) share his wealth with his extended family in this case being his entire community. Although it may have been what he was expected to do in his culture I can imagine that it would have been quite easy for him to take his wife and live like wealthy white rich man after the government  ‘granted’ them basic rights which were not given to normal aborigines.

MT HERMANNSBURG

ALBERT NAMATJIRA
Australia 1902 - 1959

MT HERMANNSBURG
watercolour on paper
39 x 56.5 cm
Collection: Ngurratjuta Pmara Corporation Collection
Araluen Galleries Alice Springs