Ronnie Tjampitjinpa’s (1943) art is a good representation of the characteristic Pintupi style: repetition of forms, which are geometric, simple and bold, and pigments which are often restricted to four basic colours of black, red, yellow and white. But Ronnie experiments with other colours as well. Ronnie's work follows the Pintupi style of strong circles joined together by connecting lines relating to the people, country (geographical map) and the Dreamtime. Tingari may be poetically interpreted as song-line paintings relating to the songs (of the people) and creation stories (of places) in Pintupi mythology. Ronnie can be considered amongst the first wave of artists effectively linking such ancient stories with modern mediums.
Ronnie Tjampitjinpawas born at Tjiturrunya, in Western Australia. Following an extended drought in the 1950s, Ronnie's family moved to Haasts Bluff and then on to Papunya where he grew up.
Papunya was a government experiment under the policy of assimilation where mixtures of tribes were thrown together into one community. It was hardly an ideal way to grow up and gave rise to the desire of Ronnie and many other Pintupi artists and residents to move back to there home lands. Whilst in Papunya, Ronnie started painting in the early to mid 1970s. He moved to Kintore in the 1980s, shortly after its establishment, fulfilling his dream.
Ronnie's style tends towards simple, geometric shapes and bold lines. He explores the themes of water dreaming, bushfire dreaming and the Tingari cycle. Tingari are the legendary beings of the Pintupi people that travelled the desert performing rituals, teaching law, creating landforms and shaping what would become ceremonial sites. As far as we can know, the meanings behind Tingari paintings are multi-layered, however, those meaning are not available to the uninitiated.
Ronnie Tjampitjinpa was the winner of the 1988 Alice Springs Art Prize and is shown in numerous major public and private galleries worldwide. He is married to Mary Brown Napangardi and currently spends his time between Alice Springs and his home in Kintore.
© 2021. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Ronnie Tjampitjinpa. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
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| Ronnie Tjampitjinpa |
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Ronnie at work
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Ronnie in his studio
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| Tingari Story at Walungurru, 1981 |
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| Fire Dreaming, 1985 |
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| Pitjara dreaming (Site of Tjiterulnga), 1990 |
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| Pinarri, 1992 |
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| Two Boys at Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay), 1992 |
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| 1993 Journey of the Tingari Men to Tikari, 1993 |
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| Untitled, 1994 |
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| Untitled, 1995 |
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| Men's Ceremony, Montardi, 1996 |
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| Tingari Cycle, 1997 |
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Untitled (Tingari motifs), 1997
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Untitled (Tingari motifs and snake), 1997
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| Tingari Cycle, 1998 |
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| Untitled, 1998 |
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Tingari Cycle, 2001
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| Tjuantjuintja, 2001 |
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| Untitled, 2001 |
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| Travels of the Tingari Ancestors, 2002 |
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| Untitled, 2002 |
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| Tingari Cycle, 2003 |
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| Tingari Squares, 2005 |
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| Tingari, 2005 |
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Snake Dreaming, 2006
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Tingari Cycle, 2006
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Untitled, 2007
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| Tingari, 2007 |
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| Tingari, 2007 |
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| Waru Tjukurrpa (Fire Dreaming), 2007 |
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| Water Dreaming, 2007 |
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Tingari fire dreaming at Wilkinkarra, 2008
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| Untitled, 2008 |
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| Tjintjintjin, 2009 |
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| Untitled, 2012 |
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| Untitled |
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