Untitled (Ghost Gum, Mt Sonder, MacDonnell Ranges) 1953

This watercolour by Albert Namatjira captures a scene of Ghost Gum, Mt Sonder, and the MacDonnell Ranges. Look at the way the colours bleed into each other, creating soft edges and hazy distances. I can imagine Namatjira outside, squinting in the sun, dipping his brush into water and pigment, trying to capture the vastness and the light. I sympathise with the artist who attempts to convey the sense of really being in the landscape. The ochres and browns of the foreground give way to the blues and purples of the mountains, layering space. Think about the choice of watercolour. How it allows for both precision and fluidity. I'm drawn to the stark, white trunk of the ghost gum tree. It twists and curves, offering a contrast to the rugged landscape. Namatjira’s paintings opened up a way of seeing the Australian landscape and inspired so many others. He reminds us that artists build on each other’s work, and that each painting is part of an ongoing conversation.