Indigenous Art of the Dreamtime

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula was born in 1925 at Minjilpirri, an area north west of Illipili and south of Lake Mackay. The son of mixed parents, his mother was of Luritja/ Warlpiri/Pintupi descent and his father Luritja/Warlpiri. Johnny was raised in a traditional manner, living an orthodox life in the desert and never attending European schools. He is of the Luritja language group and was initiated into manhood and learned his dreamings during his family’s stay at a mission in Hermannsburg.

81. Kulwa, Waterbirds 1999, 91 x 60cm

Johnny can recollect his first contact with Europeans, remembering his fearful response when witnessing an aircraft fly over his land as a young boy. His people believed the aeroplane to be a ‘marnu’ or devil. At a later date, his people came into contact with camels for the first time and again hid in fright as they recognised the beasts as being evil.

All of that is a far cry from the sophisticated auction rooms of Sotheby’s in Melbourne where, in July 1997, his painting ‘Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa’ changed hands for a record $206,000. From relative obscurity, ‘Johnny W’, as he is affectionately known, became a figure to be reckoned with in the history of Australian art.

The Desert art movement was no longer ‘emerging’, the sale of this one painting had riveted the attention of collectors and investors confirming the promise and potential it had displayed over the past two decades. At the same time this sale offered towering hopes for the future. Perhaps it was an aberration - one of those spectacular quirks thrown up by auction houses - but the sale, just six months later, of an early painting by Billy Stockman for $200,000 seemed to prove otherwise. A sale which preceded both of those was again at Sotheby’s and saw an early Papunya work, ‘A Cave Dreaming’, by Anatjari Tjakamarra go for $74,570 in June 1996.

Between 1971 and 1972 there were some 500 paintings made and sold at the Papunya community. These are the paintings which collectors prize most highly, obviously because of their historical significance. Certainly these were all paintings from a particular moment and particular place, but they were made by a fascinating band of nomadic tribesmen who in western terminology metamorphosed quite rapidly into ‘master’ painters. This was a talented and productive ‘mob’. Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrala proved to be outstanding amongst them because of his innovatory approach and his delicate technique. A significant group of the artists from that time continue to paint in the late 1990’s.

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula’s painting career began after a long turn at labouring, his efforts contributing to the development of roads, airstrips and settlements in areas such as Haasts Bluff, Mt Leibig, Yuendumu and Mt Wedge. In return for his work building roads, shovelling dirt and felling trees he was remunerated in the form of consumable goods, ‘tucker’ (as he calls it) - flour, tea, sugar, fresh vegetables and tobacco.

Before the bulk of the Haasts Bluff population were moved to Papunya in 1960, Johnny was selected, along with Nosepeg Tjupurrula as Aboriginal representatives to meet Queen Elizabeth. After settling in Papunya Johnny served on the Papunya Council with Mick Namarari, Limpi Tjapangati and Kingsley Tjungarrayi.

Geoffrey Bardon’s arrival at Papunya inspired the community to begin using western art materials. Johnny rapidly developed a distinctive style of his own which came to be known as ‘overdotting’. He uses several layers of dots to depict his dreamings, which consist of Water, Fire, Yam and Egret stories. There are also stories from Nyilppi and Nyalpilala which are his father’s Dreamings. Due to Johnny’s failing eyesight his output of work has steadily reduced over the years. He currently lives in Papunya with his wife Gladys Napanangka and his eight children.

In late 1997, Michael Hollow commissioned Johnny to paint a series of small works. From this series Johnny began a new phase in his distinguished painting career. This series, perhaps his final one due to failing health, includes a range of small to very large dynamic, powerful paintings in pure red and black with white, yellow and ochre highlights. Each of the works features the established imagery of Johnny’s dreamings overpainted to hide the secret and sacred elements. These works have evolved slowly over an eighteen-month period during which time the artist has displayed once more his mastery of this unique form of art and storytelling. These important, late works are made despite failing eyesight and poor health. It may seem ludicrous to draw parallels between this Aboriginal painting master and Monet in their corresponding last years. However one cannot help noticing those similarities. Further, Johnny’s technique and brushwork bear an eerie resemblance to the techniques employed by Monet in his late waterlily paintings at Giverny. This may only prove that the mark making we call art is a basic expression of the human spirit as one mind strives to communicate with another in visual terms. The Frenchman Monet was inspired by his Japanese water garden - Warangkula by his birthright - his ancient dreamings.

82. Tjikarri, Fire Dreaming 1998, 153 x 91cm



83. Tjikarri, Fire Dreaming 1998, 152 x 123cm

The Figure represents Tjampitjinpa, the old grey haired firemaker from Tjikarri. He is shown with spears and boomerangs. He is described as a pangkalang man, a giant cave man rather than a human being. The narrative describes this man as rama rama, “mad one”. He is fighting with a brother, hurling weapons at him. When they prove to be ineffective he enchants a magical fire from with in the ground. The pangkalang man ventures into the burning bush and is consumed by the flames. A group of pynan nanya ( tingari men) come up and see that this mad man has gone out into the fire. They follow his footprints and find him badly burnt. They manage to revive him and he is still out there causing great fear to those that visit this site.