Lupulnga (Two Women Dreaming) 

Makinti Napanangka painted Lupulnga, or Two Women Dreaming, with acrylic on canvas. This medium is not traditional, but it is immediate, relatively inexpensive, and favored by many Aboriginal artists today. Note how Napanangka has built this image through careful accumulation. Thousands of short strokes, mostly straight, but sometimes wavering, describe both the features of the landscape, and the ancestral stories associated with it. These Dreaming stories are part of an ancient heritage, passed down through generations. The process of painting is therefore far more than just depiction. The artist doesn't just visualize the story, they actively embody and re-tell it through repetitive gestures. In this way, the act of making is a form of cultural continuity. So, next time you look at a painting like this, think not only of the image, but of the labor, material, and traditions that it brings together. That's where its real meaning resides.