Mount Sonder 1940

Albert Namatjira painted this watercolour of Mount Sonder, likely en plein air, so with his feet on the earth and the sun on his back. I see the painting emerging through thin washes, layer upon layer, to capture the subtle gradations of light and shadow on the mountain's surface. The color palette is earthy, dominated by pinks, purples, yellows and browns to convey the landscape's arid beauty. I sympathize with the artist and wonder what it must have been like to stand before such a majestic mountain, trying to capture its essence on paper. Namatjira’s marks have an intention and rhythm, communicating the enormity of nature. The way he renders these craggy peaks reminds me of Cezanne and his treatment of Mont Sainte-Victoire, but here, the cultural context is entirely different. It demonstrates how artists from different backgrounds and eras engage in a dialogue, each bringing their unique perspective. Ultimately, this work invites us to contemplate painting’s capacity to translate the world into art, and art back into an expanded form of embodied expression.