The Western MacDonnell Range, Central Australia 1957

Albert Namatjira made this watercolor of the Western MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia sometime in the mid-20th century. Namatjira's handling of watercolor is so beautiful, so intuitive. He really lets the colors flow and blend, which, for me, speaks to an understanding of artmaking as a real process of discovery. The materiality of this piece is so important. You can almost feel the heat radiating from the ochre and sienna tones of the foreground. Then there are those ghostlike eucalyptus trees, rendered with such delicate washes. Look at how the light seems to filter through the leaves, creating this sort of dappled effect on the ground. It’s not just a painting of a landscape; it’s an experience. Namatjira's work really stands apart. He's got this amazing way of capturing light and atmosphere. It makes me think of Turner's watercolors. Both artists seem to understand that art is more about capturing a feeling than a fixed reality.