One’s culture greatly defines how they perceive art, but if you are born in an aboriginal world then art is no longer perceived the same way as an average person would like to believe. Too often, we are stuck thinking in very conventional and non-original ideas. In Randy Kennedy’s “An Aboriginal Artist’s Dizzying New York Moment,” the author describes a man that came from a long lost tribe that hadn’t assimilated into civilization until 1984. This man, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, was raised in a remote desert in Western Australia. It was “so remote that even after other Pintupi were forcibly relocated into settlements in the 1950’s and 1960’s.” Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s art seems so abstract to a regular person, but he is having fun telling the stories of his people and of his ancestors through seemingly simplistic lines. His art is so different that most of his work doesn’t have any titles, which allows the viewers to make their own assumptions and ideas fly.
Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri was the head leader of the Pintupi Nine, also known as the “lost tribe”, who insisted they were separated from their other Pintupi clan members. The group consisted of two sisters and their seven teenage children, where they would travel from waterhole to waterhole, just like their ancestors. They were so isolated from society that they were “…overwhelmed by the experience of travelling in a car for the first time.” In addition, “The plane would fly over and we would hide in the tree. We would see the wings of the plane and we would get frightened. We thought it was the devil and so we kept hiding under the tree. When the plane had passed we would climb down from the tree.” They weren’t found until 1984 by pure chance, but they can be shown as a prime example of people that weren’t influenced by the outside world for a good amount of time.
Living in modern society, we often are influenced by many different cultures around the world. But, in the case of Mr. Tjapaltjarri, he was only influenced by “ceremonial designs that Pintupi men used on rocks, spears and their bodies.” The art really speaks with nature because it really seems like Mr. Tjapaltjarri drew in the desert sand and froze it in a specific movement. Making desert paintings is no easy task, as these paintings consist of “…thousands of dots — a signature of much Desert Paintings. The dots form tight parallel lines…” This exemplifies the difference between modern people and “old-school” people, in today’s society we lack the mental capacity to focus on something that requires all of our attention because we are always overthinking on what we should be doing next.
Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s artwork reminds me of a child in the sandbox with a branch who is drawing anything he/she wants in the sand. His artwork is so unrestricted from a mental-state and an artistic point-of-view, even though it seems so simplistic, each line in his works is another reason to enjoy life. His artwork is a reminder of where he came from, where his ancestors came from, and what he has endured all these years. Being in America, sometimes we forget about our own heritage and family history. Maybe we should reflect more about our family history. Perhaps we can get a better understanding of our identity. There is no doubt in my mind that Tjapaltjarri understands the value of culture and family.
“The lines and switchbacks, painted on linen canvas while it is flat on the ground, correspond to mythical stories about the Pintupi and the formation of the desert world in which they live.” The paintings are like topography maps, as they show geographers a story about a landscape at an average wouldn’t know. Tjapaltjarri’s work tells Pintupi a story about their ancestor, his works allow us to create our own stories just by gazing at it.
Your post is interesting and all together humbling. I love that you pointed out, “in today’s society we lack the mental capacity to focus on something that requires all of our attention because we are always overthinking on what we should be doing next.” It is inspiring to read about and see Tjapaltjarri’s artwork because it inspires me live in a simpler mindset, like when I was a child. His art grew from what he saw everyday. This I believe is a wake up call for us to appreciate the fantastic, ever day world around us.
I like that Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s artwork is abstract and only he knows the true meaning behind it. As someone who never got into visual arts, I sometimes find it difficult to see what other people see in paintings, so it is a pleasant change for everybody to have to interpret his pieces in their own light. The point you bring up about modern people not being able to focus on one thing is very interesting. I agree with you but also think that it is a necessary progression as modern society has gotten very complex and in order to succeed one must be able to multitask to get everything done, not unlike college so far.
I like how your post touched upon the importance of reflecting upon our family history. I think we are able to truly appreciate Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s artwork because it is so untouched from the modern, outside world. His own art reflects his unique culture and background. I like how we can not only admire Mr. Tjapaltjarri’s work but also learn from it.