Walter Tjampitjinpa

Kalipinypa

1972

Kalipinypa is a claypan covered with a gravelly deposit that traps water after heavy rains. In the Tjukurrpa, two ancestral men sang into being a series of raging storms which brought life to the desert. Descendants of these rain ancestors, including the artist himself, are gifted with the power to bring rain as well.

Language Group: Pintupi
Dates: 1912-1981

Walter Tjampitjinpa was a central figure in the early group of painters. He was a senior ceremonial leader and was integral in authorizing the creation of the Honey Ant Mural. As custodian for the important Water Dreaming at Kalipinypa, he oversaw its depiction in some of the most important paintings of the early movement, including those of younger artists such as Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula and Jack Long Phillipus Tjakamarra.

WALTER TJAMPITJINPA, Kalipinypa, 1972

Synthetic polymer paint on composition board. 25 31/32 × 16 17/32 in. (66 × 42 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The Richard Klingler and Jane Slatter Collection at Kluge-Ruhe, 2020. 2020.0009.001.

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