Sunrise on the James Range 1944

Albert Namatjira made this watercolour painting of the James Range, and what I see are soft washes of colour, a serene palette of blues, purples, and greens blending to capture the landscape's subtle light. I can imagine Namatjira, standing before this vista, carefully mixing his paints to mirror what he saw. It's like a direct, unfiltered translation of the land onto paper. The mountains aren't just shapes; they’re solid forms, each ridge and valley rendered with delicate precision. Looking at the blue of the sky, it's as if he gently coaxed the colour from the atmosphere itself. This reminds me of other painters, like Agnes Martin, who found expression by way of landscape, subtly capturing nuances of light and atmosphere. Namatjira’s is a distinct vision, though. It makes me think about how we all draw on what came before, then twist and torque the conventions to say something utterly new. Art isn’t made in a vacuum, but through conversation, an evolving exchange across time.