KAAPA MBITJANA TJAMPITJINPA

Painted at Papunya in December 1971
Private collection
Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2008, lot 191
Private collection, USA

Bardon, G., Papunya Tula: Art of the Western Desert, McPhee Gribble, Melbourne, 1991, p.109 illus
Bardon, G. and Bardon J., Papunya, A Place made after the Story; The Beginnings of the Western Desert Paintings Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, p.352, Ptg.301 illus.

The board is attached to a wooden stretcher and housed in a perspex box. There are ten small holes around the perimetre of the board which are likely to have been present prior to painting and small breakages to three corners that appear to have suffered damage prior to the painting's execution. The pigments overall appear in good and stable condition and there is no evidence of repair or restoration. Though there is some wear around the edges and quite significant smudging of the pigments at the right hand end (this is evident in the reproduction of the the painting in Bardon, G. and Bardon J., Papunya, A Place made after the Story; The Beginnings of the Western Desert Paintings Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Publishing, 2004, p.352, Ptg.301 illus
"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 his book, Geoffrey Bardon writes of the artist's paintings at the time: "Kaapa's spatial control, elegant symmetry, classic balance and exquisite filigree variations on decorative motifs gave his work its distinctive monumental presence and heraldic clarity and splendor. However, the social tensions within the painting group spilt over ferociously into his work. He was the most vigorously symmetrical of the painters, yet his paintings are a compendium of sacred signs with secular subject matter. Kaapa consistently allowed the secular and the sacred to clash in his symbology. His intrusive icons were forever commenting on (and thereby, it seemed to me, questioning) the tribal traditions. Along with sacredness and secrecy, Kaapa threw his traditions to the wind, expressing instead a grim horror of the environment he was obliged to endure in the here-and-now". (Bardon, 1991, p.108)

In the accompanying annotated diagram published in his book, Bardon identifies the four concentric circles in the corners as sand mosaics, the four large yellow ochre circles towards the centre - as wild orange, the six arch shapes along the perimeter - as wind brakes, the meandering foliage emanating from the central roundels - as the flowers and seeds of orange tree, the elongated ovoid objects - as Tjuringa (sacred objects), and the meandering lines that traverse the board - as body paint. The four small 'U' shapes alongside the black concentric circles represent corroboree men at fire. Bardon further comments: 'This skillfully painted version of the Wild Orange Dreaming shows traditional symmetry as well as European influences'. (ibid, p.109)