Indigenous Art of the Dreamtime

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri

By February 1999 when Clifford Possum was flown to Sydney to identify a wide range of suspect paintings exhibited under his name he was 66 years of age and universally recognised as the most famous living Aboriginal painter. His reputation has steadily grown since the time he painted with Geoffrey Bardon at Papunya in 1971. There is no doubt at all that he is one of the Modern Aboriginal Masters. A genial man who speaks little English, Clifford is widely travelled, one of the many rewards he has earned through his great skill as a painter and his perseverance through times which has often been far from easy.

74. Worm Dreaming, Naripi 1998, 120 x 77cm

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was born in 1932 on Napperby Station. His father was One Pound Jim Jungurrayi and his mother was Long Rose Nangala. He worked extensively as a stockman on the cattle stations in and around his traditional country. Very slow travel every day and long yarns around the campfire at night meant that he became an accomplished storyteller and also developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dreaming Trails that criss-cross the area to the north of the western McDonnell Ranges. Those stories, embellished by the deep understanding of his country, inform the painting of his dreamings.

75. Wallaby - Frog Dreaming 1998, 128 x 70cm

To travel with Clifford through his country is an unforgettable experience. In given areas where he is custodian or traditional owner he seems to know the name and dreaming characteristics of the most minute features in the landscape. What appears irrelevant to western eyes comes alive and develops its own significance as Clifford ‘talks’ it into life. The Aboriginal people have a wonderful saying which is indeed an encapsulated philosophy: ‘nothing is nothing’. He also has an intimate knowledge of those groups and individuals who carry on the dreaming after his own responsibility within an area expires.

His career as an artist began in the 1950’s when he carved snakes and goannas in the tradition initiated by his grandfather and two older brothers. By the 70’s he was one of the most accomplished carvers in Central Australia. His first opportunity to paint came when one of Albert Namatjira’s sons gave him acrylic paints and the master began his work. Clifford, living at the Papunya Community was one of the first artists to be involved with the Aboriginal art movement.

76. Women’s Ceremony 1998, 113 x 47cm

The art of Clifford Possum is notable for its brilliant manipulation of three-dimensional space. Many of his canvasses have strong figurative elements which stand out from the highly descriptive background dotting. In the late 70’s he expanded the scope of Papunya Tula painting by placing the trails of several ancestors on the same canvas in the fashion of a road map. Within this framework, he depicted the geographical features of the country by employing traditional Aboriginal iconography.

In some of his paintings Clifford attempts to give a visual impression of sunlight, cloud, shadow and earth to denote specific times of the day. To appreciate their full richness it is imperative that his paintings be seen not only for their colour, composition and balance but also for their mythological details.

Clifford is now regarded as one of the most significant Aboriginal artists of his time. He was the chairman of the Papunya Tula Artists from the 1970’s to the 1980’s. His work is featured in many of the main galleries and collections throughout Australia and overseas. ‘The Art of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri’, by Vivien Johnson, published in 1994 was dedicated to him and his paintings.

77. Bush Plum - Kiji Creek 1998, 126 x 78cm

His works are in many of the world’s outstanding collections of indigenous art including Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Broken Hill Art Gallery, Donald Kahn collection, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Flinders University Art Museum, the National Gallery of Australia, Pacific Asia Museum Los Angeles, Parliament House Art Collection Canberra, Queensland Art Gallery, South Australian Museum, The Holmes a Court Collection, The Kelton Foundation Santa Monica U.S.A., Jinta Desert Art Gallery Sydney, Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia Melbourne and Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Alice Springs.

78. Carpet Snake 1999, 132 x 124cm

This painting celebrates the Carpet Snake Dreaming. East of Mt. Wedge is a long line of claypans which fill in heavy rains and connect up over a distance of almost 20 kilometres, beyond Tilmouth Well. Several mythological snakes are associated with this country, known as the Napperby Lakes, including the Carpet Snake shown in this painting. The star-like formations represent spinifex bushes which are an important feature in Clifford’s area. When burned and ground down spinifex is used as a powder in paints and also as a residue for adhesion.

79. Lightening Dreaming 1998, 122 x 100cm

This painting depicts a Lightening Dreaming and is associated with the site of Ngarritjaliti, depicted by the concentric circle. The flowing lines depict the pathway of the storm and the double lines depict flashes of lightning. The story tells of a man who had an illicit love affair (with his mother-in-law) and hid in a cave in the side of a hill to escape a very strange cloud.

“He see one cloud come up in clear sky, from long away, from Lajamanu. He was going around this place and he thinking, ‘Oh that one cloud, he got something there, how come from one cloud he come up this only lightening?’ this old man, he knew.”

The old Jungarrayi barricaded the entrance with a wall of rocks, but could not save himself.

“That lightening came up in the cloud and blow him up, rocks and all the body and all that blew up, rock everywhere.”

The lightening struck with uncanny accuracy, blowing away the man, his cave and hiding place barricade of rocks. It did this without leaving a mark on the rest of the hill.

80. Two Tjangala Men 1998, 130 x 127cm

This is the story of Warlugulong - a site south of Yuendumu and involves the story of two Tjangala brothers who perished in a fire created by the old Blue Tongue Lizard Ancestor ( their grandfather, Tjampitjinpa ). The Lizard Ancestor was angry and wanted to punish his two grandsons for killing a kangaroo ( which was one of their totems) so he started a raging fire. Upon witnessing the bushfire the brothers fled south with their spear throwers and stone knives but were eventually engulfed in flames, leaving only their skeletal remains. They are depicted in representational form as skeletons with their hunting implements, spears and woomera’s ( spear throwers ).