Untitled
(c. 1972)
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Measurements
167.8 × 66.2 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased from Admission Funds, 1988
© The Artist/Licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Limited
Gallery location
Not on display
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Papunya, Northern Territory
Accession Number
O.47-1988
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Physical description
The artist represents elements of the Tingari, a vast undulating religious cycle, re-enacted in Pintupi men’s ceremonies, which tells of the journeyings of large groups of ancestral men and novices. Secluded from women and the uninitiated, the Tingari men established the law which is still followed today. Their heroic adventures on the desert stage encompass extremes of human weakness and courage, sexual excess, hunting prowess, theft of sacred objects, greed, transformation and death: Western Desert life in its wholeness. The painting shows lines of travel through important sites, indicated by concentric circles. The elongated oval shapes represent sacred boards, modified for general viewing, which would be revealed to young men after initiation.