Untitled (Wildflower Dreaming) 1992

Emily Kame Kngwarreye made this untitled painting, perhaps called Wildflower Dreaming, with what looks like acrylic paint in warm hues – reds, oranges, yellows. I imagine her dabbing the canvas with a brush or perhaps another tool, creating a field of tiny dots. I sympathize with Kngwarreye, imagining her in the act of painting, trying to capture the essence of wildflowers in bloom. Did she start with a particular area and then let the painting grow organically outward? Or did she attack the whole canvas at once, building up the layers gradually? Each dot is a tiny gesture, a mark of intention. The texture is built up from these individual points of colour and creates a pulsating surface that seems to vibrate with energy. The warm colors evoke the heat of the Australian landscape. Kngwarreye, like Agnes Martin, or Yayoi Kusama, knew the power of repetition to unlock something vast. Kngwarreye’s paintings remind us that art is an ongoing conversation, with artists learning from each other and building upon the discoveries of those who came before. Painting is a form of expression, a way of embracing uncertainty and allowing for multiple meanings.