Lot 91
  • 91

Emily Kame Kngwarreye 1910-1996 ARLATYEYE (WILD YAM)

Estimate
150,000 - 250,000 AUD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Emily Kame Kngwarreye
  • ARLATYEYE (WILD YAM)
  • bears artist's name and Delmore Gallery catalogue number 1R46 on the reverse
  • synthetic polymer paint on linen
  • 130 BY 229 CM

Provenance

Commissioned by the Delmore Gallery in 1991
Sotheby's, Contemporary and Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 18 June 1995, lot 400
Private collection

Condition

This painting is in good and stable condition overall with no visible signs of repairs or restoration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Cf. Arlatyeye–wild yam, 1991, in J. Isaacs, T. Smith, J. Ryan et al, Emily Kngwarreye Paintings, Sydney: Craftsman House, 1998, p.63, illus.

Painted in January 1991, this work was created mid-way through a period in which the artist was exploring the possibilities of a palette wider than that offered by traditionally used colours which are characteristic of her early paintings (Judith Ryan, 'Emily Kngwarreye in the National Gallery of Victoria,' in Isaacs, 1998, p.80). The painting clearly features the tracery of the yam roots to establish the compositional structure of the work, which in turn becomes the bare form of the intuitive compositions, stripped of any dotting, in the paintings of her later years.

This painting is sold with an accompanying certificate from Delmore Gallery that reads: 'In this quietly resolved work, Emily Kngwarreye defines the post-summer dryness that created a muted scattered carpet of seeds and grasses over the country. Her life-long observations of her place called Alalgura on Utopia Station, have taught her that despite the dryness, those underground tuber vegetables and certain berries are just right for picking. When wind sweeps away the grasses, and leaves a near bare country, survival becomes tough.

To look on Emily's work from an aerial perspective is necessary to understanding her view of her country. In a layered approach with colour, we see the sporadic clustered growth of plants in different stages of maturity. Knowledge about the life cycles of plants is learned in everyday situations and reinforced in ceremony. Ceremony asserts that the combined spiritual power of women assures fertility and future seasons for all desert life forms. Emily's role as a senior custodian means taking on the ritual and social responsibilities for her nieces. She teaches them much of what she knows, and deliberately influences their role within their tribal grouping. She uses her power to guarantee future generations, and the continuous flow of her knowledge.'