Untitled by Emily Kngwarreye, 1992

Transcript

Untitled by Emily Kngwarreye, 1992, is an art piece made with synthetic polymer paint on polycotton, measuring 1.2m high by 52.2cm wide and is unframed. This artwork is located on Wall 4: Contemporary Indigenous works: Utopia and Arnhem Land. 

The majority of this painting is a deep ochre-orange colour. There appear to be small circular shapes, all similar in size, created by pressing a paintbrush onto the surface of the work. Although this painting is prominently ochre-orange, on closer inspection the brushstroke marks range in colour from burnt orange to yellow to brown to purple and cover the entirety of the surface.  

A mottled blue-black colour can be seen throughout the art piece. Due to the layers of colours used by the artist, this darker colour can be seen through the overlaid paint. 

Emily Kngwarreye is one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists. She was born at the beginning of the 20th century and grew up in the remote desert region of  Utopia, 230 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs. Her work was inspired by her cultural life as an Anmatyerre elder, and her lifelong custodianship of the women’s Dreaming sites in her clan Country, Alhalkere.  

Emily Kngwarreye began to paint late in her life and it is estimated she produced over 3000 art pieces in the span of her eight-year painting career. 

USU purchased this work from Utopia Art in 1992. 

The biographical information included in this description was sourced from the website of the National Museum of Australia, found here.