Rocks at Lupulnga 2000

Makinti Napanangka made this painting, Rocks at Lupulnga, by building up layers of yellow and orange lines, with subtle touches of violet. I can imagine Napanangka sitting on the earth, brush in hand, patiently applying each stroke, feeling the connection to her ancestral lands. The painting shimmers with heat. The repetitive marks, like the contours of a map, become a meditative act, a way of embodying the landscape. It makes me think of Agnes Martin's grids, but with a more organic, grounded energy. The violet lines cutting through the warm hues create a quiet tension, like a cool breeze in the desert. Napanangka’s work reminds us that painting is not just about representation but about being present, about feeling the world around us, and translating that into something tangible. The canvas becomes a record of that exchange.