Gloria Petyarre
Overview
Leafs , 2001
Gloria Petyarre is one of the most revered artists from the Utopia region, north-east of Alice Springs. She was one of seven sisters who are all artists, including the celebrated Kathleen Petyarre, Nancy Petyarre, Violet Petyarre and Ada Bird. The artist was raised in a remote part of the Eastern Desert and initiated into Anmatyerre law and traditions.
Like many female Aboriginal painters of her generation, Gloria Petyarre first gained recognition as an artist as a painter of batik. She first participated in the first art programs organised at Utopia in 1977 when she was 35 years of age, and began producing fibre art. These early batik-making workshops marked the emergence of Aboriginal women artists as a force in the Desert Painting movement. In 1988, Gloria made a first shift into painting on canvas, and her first work was shown in the exhibition, ‘Utopia Women’s Painting; The First Works of Canvas; a Summer Project 1988 to 1989’.
Many of Gloria Petyarre’s best known works represent the leaves of the Kurrajong tree, a native species around Utopia and used to treat a variety of bodily ailments. The women collect the leaves, then dry and mix them with Kangaroo fat in order to extract the plant's medicinal qualities. The significance of the Kurrajong tree and the part it plays in healing is celebrated in the women’s Alwelye ceremonies to this day. In painting the Bush Medicine Leaf story, Petyarre pays homage to the spirit of the medicine plant and encourages its regeneration, preserving the ancient story so that her kin can continue to benefit from these ancient healing powers.
As well as the Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming, the Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming is a prominent iconography in Petyarre’s work, capturing the tracks of the lizard’s tail in the sand in a pattern of swirling coloured lines. The Yam Dreaming, as popularly executed by the artist’s aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, was another frequent motif. She also painted Grass Seed, Pencil Yam, Emu, Bean, Small Brown Grass and Body Paint Dreamings in her distinctive dappled style. Later in her career, Gloria Petyarre began to paint massive 'Big Leaf' paintings, expressionistically rendered with giant brush strokes that mix colour on the canvas to gain a variety of fascinating paint effects.
As well as the Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming, the Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming is a prominent iconography in Petyarre’s work, capturing the tracks of the lizard’s tail in the sand in a pattern of swirling coloured lines. The Yam Dreaming, as popularly executed by the artist’s aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, was another frequent motif. She also painted Grass Seed, Pencil Yam, Emu, Bean, Small Brown Grass and Body Paint Dreamings in her distinctive dappled style. Later in her career, Gloria Petyarre began to paint massive 'Big Leaf' paintings, expressionistically rendered with giant brush strokes that mix colour on the canvas to gain a variety of fascinating paint effects.
Gloria Petyarre exhibited her batik work in group exhibitions in Australia and overseas from 1977 to 1987. In 1988, Gloria began painting in acrylic, painting her first work for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA). This painting was shown in the exhibition “Utopia Women’s Painting; The First Works of Canvas; a Summer Project 1988 to 1989.” In 1990 and 1991, Gloria Petyarre travelled to Ireland, London and India as a representative of the Utopia women accompanying the group exhibition “Utopia – A Picture Story”. The exhibition also travelled to Adelaide and Melbourne.
In 1999m the artist won the coveted 'Wynne Prize for Landscape' at the New South Wales Gallery. This was a triumph for Aboriginal art, with Gloria Petyarre becoming the first Indigenous Australian artist ever to win a major art prize at the Gallery of New South Wales. The most prestigious Indigenous art competition in this country, the 'Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award' has featured her artworks on many occasions, and her works are widely collected and commonly held in the finest Aboriginal Art Collections and Museums worldwide.
In 1999m the artist won the coveted 'Wynne Prize for Landscape' at the New South Wales Gallery. This was a triumph for Aboriginal art, with Gloria Petyarre becoming the first Indigenous Australian artist ever to win a major art prize at the Gallery of New South Wales. The most prestigious Indigenous art competition in this country, the 'Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award' has featured her artworks on many occasions, and her works are widely collected and commonly held in the finest Aboriginal Art Collections and Museums worldwide.
Works
