Comparison: Blak Douglas - Tjarutja Tragedy

Question 1

Opening Sentence

Answer 1

Contrasting to the intimate, traditional stylistic nuances present in Namatjira’s work, Blak Douglas, a distinguished contemporary Indigenous artist, explores the deep displacement of Aboriginal communities by drawing upon aspects of Pop Art in ‘Tjarutja Tragedy.’

Question 2

Comparison - depiction of SM

Answer 2

While both Palm Valley and Tjarutja Tragedy clearly highlight the harshness of the dry Australian climate, Douglas depicts his scene in a more horrific manner, with burnt, barren trees bending distortedly in the background, while flat-bottomed, fluffy white clouds foreshadow a crimson sunset and a thin, ghostly silhouette of an Indigenous man.

Question 3

Comparison - Aesthetic qualities

Answer 3

While the native flora and fauna in Palm Valley contribute to the serene harmony of the atmosphere, Douglas’s representation of the geometric, 3D clouds highlight the detriments of government complicity, as they appear pure and full of promises, yet they are empty and lack substance. Contrasting to the cohesive and and melodious colour palette of Palm Valley, the vibrant reds and blues used within Douglas’s work speaks to the extreme deracination and oppression of Indigenous communities in a dystopian world dominated by government failure.