Leaves on the Ground, 2001

GLORIA TAMERRE PETYARRE
Leaves on the Ground, 2001
Acrylic on Belgian linen
3 panels, each 180 x 120 cm

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Artist Gloria Petyarre, title Leaves on the Ground, 2001. Leaves on the Ground is an excellent example of one of the major themes in Gloria Petyarre’s work, namely wild flowers, grasses and leaves, all painted using short, thick to thin brushstrokes. Her other major themes are ceremonial body paint designs and the mountain devil lizard, or the dreaming, that is the creation story, typically comprising patterns of parallel lines, often framed dots. As with much Aboriginal art, Petyarre’s work simultaneously displays a high level of abstraction and simple iconography representing links to the land. The inspiration for Leaves on the Ground is exactly that, fallen leaves swept by the wind across the red earth of the artist’s country in Australia’s central desert region. The first stage of abstraction occurs with the use of simple but dramatic white on black paint. The shape of the leaves is further abstracted with stylised brushstrokes. Also, the pattern on the ground are symbolically represented to give geometric symmetry coupled with random variation. Finally, across the three panels, further variation is introduced in the wind-inspired movement effects created by the elongation and swirling of the leaves sustained viewing of the work induces almost an optical illusion which makes the pulsating movement three-dimensional.