This art consists of an exquisite palette of works comprising the rich hues and colours of the desert, depicting the homeland of the Aboriginal Artists of the Central and Western Desert Areas. Each painting shows a joyful love of pattern and colour. There is an understandable lexicon of designs and contexts depending on the particular region of the artist.
Yurlunggur Art specialises in Aboriginal fine art from the Central and Western Desert showing works of the current most sought after artists .
These Desert paintings are sourced directly from artists through the Aboriginal Art Centres in Central Australia where the aboriginal art movement started in 1972, when the Pintupi tribe was taken from the land to Papuna settlement, to learn living in one place. An ancient tradition gave the world its most exciting form of contemporary art. The works are highly recognized and sought after and continue to grow in richness and variety.
The art has evolved from sand and body decoration to the highly prized canvasses on gallery walls. The main forms of traditional visual representations by desert people were the sand and body paintings made as part of ceremony. Weapons such as spears and clubs, utiltarian objects like coolamons and sacred wood or stone men's message boards were also engraved for either decorative or ceremonial purposes. Body decorations are an important component of ceremonial design and are made from ochres ground to a paste with water then applied in striped or circular designs to the face and torso. Leading Utopia painters, Kathleen Petyarre, Gloria Petyarre, Janet Golder Kngwarreye along with other Utopian artists have some stunning canvasses showing ceremonial body designs.