Landscape Paintings
Come in and visit our Museum to see a vast collection of landscape paintings by Albert Namatjira, as well as works by Peter Taylor, Wenten Rubuntja, Johannes Katakarinja, Albert Namatjira’s immediate family and Gabriella Wallace, plus many more.
We always have a nice selection of landscape paintings that are available for purchase in our landscape gallery.
Aboriginal landscape painting began in the early 1930s when various white artists visited the Hermannsburg region some 120 kilometres west of Alice Springs. The landscape in Central Australia is quite magnificent. It is endowed with brilliant colours amongst such rich ochre coloured country, indescribable rock formations, ranges, gorges, rock pools and wide sandy river beds inundated with big old beautiful red gums.
In 1936 one particular white artist, Rex Battarbee, befriended an Aboriginal man by the name of Albert Namatjira, who had shown interest in learning how to paint using watercolours. Battarbee proceeded to teach Namatjira the techniques required to successfully paint using this medium. It was not long before Namatjira mastered the skills and of course the rest was history; he went on to become Australia’s most famous Aboriginal watercolourist and subsequently the first aboriginal citizen of Australia. Namatjira eventually painted around 2000 paintings and founded what is termed today the 'Hermannsburg School of Artists' which continues to the present time.
Only a year or two after he started painting Namatjira had his first exhibition in a town called Nuriootpa in South Australia. This was followed by solo exhibitions in Melbourne and Adelaide. Other Aboriginal people then followed in his footsteps and also learnt the skills, and it was not long before a number were producing exceptional work. These artists took the opportunity to 'not just paint landscapes' but to also capture the spirit of the land in a new and foreign format. They interpreted a new mode of expression, moving away from traditional designs and patterns made by their fathers and ancestors using concentric circles and other symbols.
This was a rare opportunity to diversify from the traditional methods of recording life and creation. It was an opportunity to record their spirituality and divinity with the land in a vivid, colourful and pictorial sense, and they grasped it with both hands.
Aboriginal people in other Central Australian districts followed suit, and over the years other mediums such as oils, gouache and acrylic also became popular.
On display in our museum is a representation of some of the earlier artists through to the present time. On the opposite wall, the brilliance and genius of Gabriella Wallace is featured for all to enjoy and appreciate. |
