Untitled (Landscape) 1955

Albert Namatjira created this landscape in watercolour, painting a scene of central Australia. I'm trying to imagine the way he carefully layered the washes of color, one after another, coaxing this scene into existence. The land is depicted in muted tones of greens, browns, and purples, with the pale blue of the sky peeking through the leaves of the trees. I wonder if he felt a deep connection to this place. Did he feel joy in capturing its essence on paper? I'm drawn to the way he rendered the trunks of the eucalyptus trees, almost glowing against the backdrop of the distant hills. You can feel the heat shimmering off the rocks. It reminds me of other landscape painters like Cezanne, who used the same medium to capture the light and atmosphere of the French countryside. It's all one big conversation across time between artists who respond to landscape in so many different ways.