- 94
Otto Pareroultja circa 1914-1973 GHOST GUMS
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 AUD
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Description
- Otto Pareroultja
- GHOST GUMS
- signed Otto Pareroultja (lower margin)
- watercolour on illustration board
- 52 BY 73.5CM
Provenance
Painted in the Hermannsburg region circa 1965
Private collection
Private collection
Condition
The painting is housed in a contemporary frame behind glass, the colours appearing somewhat faded due to over exposure to light, it appears in good order overall.
"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."
"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. For a different view of the same scene, see J. Hardy, J.V.S. Megaw and M. R. Megaw, The Heritage of Namatjira: The watercolourists of Central Australia, Melbourne: Heinemann, 1992, Fig. 5.4; see also A. French, Seeing the Centre: The Art of Albert Namatjira, 1902-1959, Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 2002, p.34; and Tribal concept – Aranda country, pre-1970, in H. Morphy, Aboriginal Art, London: Phaidon, 1998, p.278, pl.185, illus.
Pareroultja's distinctive style of painting is evident in this work. The artist transforms the landscape into a pulsating organic mass where the swirling trunks of the snow gums frame the range of hills in the distance, creating a sense of depth. The linguist T.G.H. Strehlow singled out Pareroultja's depiction of ghost gums as being '... in close harmony with Ancient Aranda ... tales, according to which many of these old gums had arisen from poles abandoned on their travels by their original totemic ancestors.' Strehlow went on to comment that Pareroultja's watercolours conveyed '... the same kind of distinctive Aranda feeling for balance, love of repetition and design, and sure sense of rhythm, that give such glorious vitality to their best verse.' (W. Tunnicliffe, 'Otto Pareroutlja' in Hetti Perkins, Tradition Today: Indigenous Art in Australia, Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004, p.116)
Pareroultja's distinctive style of painting is evident in this work. The artist transforms the landscape into a pulsating organic mass where the swirling trunks of the snow gums frame the range of hills in the distance, creating a sense of depth. The linguist T.G.H. Strehlow singled out Pareroultja's depiction of ghost gums as being '... in close harmony with Ancient Aranda ... tales, according to which many of these old gums had arisen from poles abandoned on their travels by their original totemic ancestors.' Strehlow went on to comment that Pareroultja's watercolours conveyed '... the same kind of distinctive Aranda feeling for balance, love of repetition and design, and sure sense of rhythm, that give such glorious vitality to their best verse.' (W. Tunnicliffe, 'Otto Pareroutlja' in Hetti Perkins, Tradition Today: Indigenous Art in Australia, Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004, p.116)